Paul's 2007 demo "BTSTU" received widespread blog coverage throughout 2010, and has been played on UK national radio by DJs including Gilles Peterson, Zane Lowe, Nick Grimshaw, Reggie Yates and Fearne Cotton.
In December 2010, Paul was longlisted for the BBC Sound of 2011 poll.
"BTSTU (Edit)" was playlisted on BBC Radio 1 following its release as a digital download on April 21, 2011, via XL. The single received favourable reviews, and was made 'Hottest Record in the World' on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show.
On May 20, 2011, Canadian hip hop artist Drake leaked a track titled "Dreams Money Can Buy" via his blog. Shortly afterward, "Till The End Of Time", a song by American R&B artist Beyoncé surfaced online. Both tracks feature a sample of Paul's "BTSTU" demo. On August 30, 2011, "BTSTU (Edit)" was included on Radio Nova's "Nova Tunes 2.4" compilation in France, and on October 25 of the same year the track appeared on "Annie Mac Presents 2011" in the UK (listed as "BTSU").
On March 30, 2012, Jai Paul uploaded a new demo titled "Jasmine (Demo)" to his SoundCloud page. The demo was given an official release via XL on April 9, 2012. Pitchfork named it “Best New Track” within an hour of its appearance on Paul’s Soundcloud page, where it clocked over 500,000 plays within a month. On April 2, "Jasmine (Demo)" was played on BBC Radio One by Zane Lowe, who chose it as his Next Hype Track. On April 9, Annie Mac named it her Record of the Week. "Jasmine (Demo)" received universal critical acclaim in the media, with The New York Times praising its “Prince era sensuality” and The Guardian simply describing the production as “amazing.”
There has been media speculation about Paul's background and motivation, as he has remained out of the public eye. The British publication Clash commented on Jai’s mysteriousness, saying “Hype is a fascinating commodity. Where some quickly melt down the attention for liquid purpose, promising talent Jai Paul removed all his music from MySpace and went to get his shit together”. XL Recordings founder and owner Richard Russell acknowledged Paul's unpredictability, saying, "Jai is a wizard...the way he's going about things is, I think for many, baffling. But...he's going about things in the most Jai Paul way you could possibly go about things. And who knows where that may lead."
On April 14th, 2013, an unknown user leaked a number of his unfinished tracks on Bandcamp as a self-titled project. The leak is believed to have come a misplaced burned CD, according to Jai, himself. The music press would soon report on this release and would publicize the release as his debut album. Because of this, the album leak would end up on two year end lists by both The Guardian and Pitchfork, as the 28th and the 20th best album of 2013, respectably, as well Pitchfork's 2014 "The 100 Best Albums of the Decade So Far" list at 99. The music press would also call into account if the release was orchestrated by Jai and his record label, XL. The leak would deal a heavy blow to Jai personally, and following a City Of London police investigation into finding those reasonable for the leak and refunding the money from sales of the album from their PayPal accounts, Jai would find it hard to deal with those in the public and the media who believed his was the one behind the leak, and would be in his words, the main reason he felt a "loss of trust" and why he "withdrew from life in general" for a few years. In the meantime, Jai and his brother, A.K. Paul, would launch the Paul Institute in 2016, where he would work on the production for some of its single releases.
It wouldn't be until 2019 following "therapy of various kinds", that he felt it was time for him to return to music and officially release the unfinished music that was leaked 6 years earlier. On June 1st, 2019, Jai and XL Recordings would officially release the leaked album under the title "Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones)" alongside the 'double B-side' "Do You Love Her Now" / "He". The release of the album also came with a letter from Jai in which he addressed the leak and his hiatus from music. Following its official release, the album would included in Pitchfork's "The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s" list, as the 95th best album of the decade, and Jai provided miscellaneous production on Childish Gambino's song "Time" off his "3.15.20" album. Reissues of "BTSTU" and "Jasmine" on vinyl followed suit.
In 2023, the world was again shocked as Paul announced his intentions to debut his catalogue at Coachella. After his critically acclaimed set, "Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones)" was released on vinyl for the first time. Paul followed suit with a number of band-backed live performances internationally, as well as supporting Paul Institute creative Fabiana Palladino on the 2023 single "I Care".
BTSTU
Jai Paul Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Since you shipped my ass off to sea
I never knew where I was goin'
I went where the water was flowin'
I know I've been gone a long time, but
I'm back and I want what is mine
I know I've been gone a long time, but
The ship was the love of my life
We went down together that night
I surfaced in every shadow
For years I just kissed on the down low
I know I've been gone a long time, but
I'm back and I want what is mine
I know I've been gone a long time, but
I'm back and I want what is mine
So don't try and fuck me about
You're wasted but on your way out, boss
I'm startin' to clock how you roll
I'm tired and about to get cold
I know I've been gone a long time, but
I'm back and I want what is mine
I know I've been gone a long time, but
I'm back and I want what is mine (oi)
I know I've been gone a long time, yeah, yeah
I'm back and I want what is mine, yeah
I know I've been gone a long time, yeah, yeah
I'm back and I want what is mine, yeah
(I know I've been gone a long time, yeah, yeah)
(I'm back and I want what is mine, yeah)
(I know I've been gone a long time, yeah, yeah)
(I'm back and I want what is mine, yeah)
The lyrics of Jai Paul's "BTSTU" are emotional and intense. The song tells the story of a person who has been through a lot and has finally returned. The lines "Don't fuck with me, don't fuck with me, since you shipped my ass off to sea" suggest that the singer has been sent away against their will, possibly on military duty. They feel lost and uncertain about their future, going wherever the water takes them.
The next lines, "I know I've been gone a long time, but I'm back and I want what is mine," indicate that the singer has returned home, and they want to reclaim their life. The ship that they were sent off on was the love of their life, and they went down together. The singer has been in hiding for years, but is now back and ready to face the person who sent them away. The lines "So don't try and fuck me about, you're wasted but on your way out, boss" suggest that the person they are confronting is in a position of power, possibly their former boss.
The singer is tired and ready to move on. The lyrics "I'm startin' to clock how you roll, I'm tired and about to get cold" suggest that they are keeping an eye on the person they are confronting, but are getting tired of the confrontation. The repeated lines "I know I've been gone a long time, but I'm back and I want what is mine" emphasize the singer's determination to reclaim their life and their sense of self.
Overall, "BTSTU" is a powerful and emotional song about reclaiming one's life and confronting those who have wronged us. The lyrics express a range of emotions, from anger and frustration to determination and hope.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't fuck with me, don't fuck with me
Don't mess with me
Since you shipped my ass off to sea
I was sent away for a long time
I never knew where I was goin'
I lost my sense of direction
I went where the water was flowin'
I followed the current
The ship was the love of my life
The ship was very important to me
We went down together that night
The ship sank and I was left behind
I surfaced in every shadow
I hid in the shadows for a long time
For years I just kissed on the down low
I kept my actions hidden for fear of getting caught
So don't try and fuck me about
Don't try to deceive me
You're wasted but on your way out, boss
You're drunk and about to leave
I'm startin' to clock how you roll
I'm watching how you behave
I'm tired and about to get cold
I'm exhausted and don't want to deal with this anymore
I'm back and I want what is mine
I am back from my long absence and want what I am owed
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Jai Paul
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@101TetoKasane
I find these kind of similar to this song.
https://soundcloud.com/willowbeats/blue
https://soundcloud.com/mrlittlejeans/the-suburbs
https://soundcloud.com/catchingfliesmusic/grey-skies
https://soundcloud.com/foldedlikefabric/i-tried
https://soundcloud.com/nicolemillar/taken-prod-xndrj
https://soundcloud.com/absofacto/dissolve
https://soundcloud.com/futureclassic/flume-star-eyes-1
I hope I helped! <3
@Chard0x
Lemme list that out!
Alt J - Breezeblocks
Kids Chiddy Bang - Opposite Of Adults
Flume - Insane (ft. Moon Holiday)
M83 - Midnight City
Woodkid - Run Boy Run
Rjd2 - Ghostwriter
Dillon - Thirteen Thirty five (1335)
I Monster - Daydream in Blue
Chase And Status - Blind Faith (ft. Liam Bailey)
Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra - Kiss The Sky
M83 - Outro
Woodkid - Iron
Pixies - Where Is My Mind
Gary Jules - Mad World
Plan B - She Said
Chase And Status - End Credits
Jay-Z x Kanye West - No Church In The Wild
Stromae - Papaoutai
Childish Gambino - Heartbeat
Rizzle Kicks - Skip To The Good Bit
Jai Paul - BTSTU
Coolio - Gangsta's Paradise
Rizzle Kicks - Miss Cigarette
Coldplay - Fix You
Disclosure - You & Me (Flume Remix)
The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony
The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army
Edward Maya - Stereo Love
Kanye West - Power
Edit: mistakes
@thebootlegboy
I will never get bored of this song
@iicloroxbleachii4987
Bootleg!! <3
@sgtchill
Can’t say the same for your content
@jouska_999
Roachy Roach Don't diss bootleg
@RA-hm2gv
Roachy Roach cant say the same for yours
@sgtchill
Birb o I don’t post content lol
@jackqueslack2339
The fact that this was recorded in 2007 is absolutely wild
@anthonyj6197
He was ahead of his time
@LiMCRiMZ
@@anthonyj6197I'd like to agree, but it's pretty on par with the quality of the greats at that time.
Trust that quality isn't lost, people just like to complain now because it requires looking for it even though it's only blurred by the shit they actively promote.
@ArughaBang
Bro he really wasnt this is still decent @@anthonyj6197