Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones)

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Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones)
Demo album by
Jai Paul
Released1 June 2019 (2019-06-01)[a]
Recorded2007–2013
Studio
Genre
Length37:07
LabelXL
ProducerJai Paul
Singles from Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones)
  1. "BTSTU"
    Released: 21 April 2011
  2. "Jasmine"
    Released: 9 April 2012

Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones), commonly referred to by its subtitle Bait Ones, is a demo album and the debut project by British musician Jai Paul. It was released on 1 June 2019, by XL Recordings.

The album, which consists of mostly unfinished songs recorded between 2007 and 2013, was initially leaked and illegally sold through Bandcamp under the title Jai Paul on 13 April 2013. Paul described the incident as "a catastrophe", and subsequently took an extended hiatus from music. Despite the unauthorized release, many publications ranked the leaked project on their year-end best-of lists, including Pitchfork and The Guardian.

Six years later, Bait Ones was officially released on streaming services. Only the album's singles, "BTSTU" and "Jasmine", had previously been given official releases. Bait Ones received critical acclaim, with critics deeming the album as ahead of its time and naming it as a significant influence on the alternative R&B genre and popular music in general. It peaked at number 100 on the US Billboard 200, and was named as one of the best albums of the 2010s by Pitchfork.

Background

Paul's "BTSTU" was sampled by both Drake (left) and Beyoncé (right) in 2011.

In 2010, Paul's 2007 demo recording "

Pitchfork and Pigeons and Planes.[7][8]

On 30 March 2012, Paul uploaded a new demo titled "Jasmine" to his official SoundCloud page.[9][10] "Jasmine" received similarly positive reviews, with critics praising its production and sensuality, likening it to the works of Prince and D'Angelo.[10][11][12] Later in 2012, Paul collaborated with rapper Big Boi on the deluxe version of his album Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors, producing the track "Higher Res" and performing alongside Swedish band Little Dragon.[13]

Leak and official reissue

On 13 April 2013, a bootleg album titled Jai Paul, consisting of "BTSTU", "Jasmine" and 14 previously unreleased recordings by Paul, was uploaded for sale on Bandcamp.[14][15] Hours after the leak, music press began to report the unofficial project as Paul's debut album.[16][17] Paul later confirmed on his Twitter account that the release was unauthorized.[18][19]

An investigation by the City of London Police, along with direct cooperation from Bandcamp and PayPal, resulted in the arrests of two suspects.[15][20] Following the incident, Paul largely withdrew from public view and did not publish any material prior to the 2019 reissue of Bait Ones. In a statement accompanying the official album's release, Paul said he was in "complete shock" after learning of the leak, and speculated that it may have originated from a "burned CD that got misplaced". He characterised the experience as "a catastrophe", and admitted that he was disillusioned by media coverage suggesting the leak was intentional:

"Everyone was convinced that the story they had read online – that I’d leaked the music myself – was true, so I had to repeatedly explain the reality of the situation over and over again. It was frustrating and disorientating to find that I had no ownership over the story (or the music) and that people were choosing to believe a different truth. I guess this all made it feel like I had thousands of people not believing me, not trusting me, and also that in some strange way I was responsible for all of it."[15][20]

Paul disclosed that the incident had greatly impacted his ability to work, and only in 2019, after "therapy of various kinds", had he begun to consider a return to music, stating he did not want to deny the public the chance to hear the unfinished music any longer.[15][20] Bait Ones was officially released by Paul through XL Recordings on 1 June 2019, in conjunction with a "double B-side single" featuring two songs recorded during the original album sessions, "Do You Love Her Now" and "He".[15] Paul indicated that ten percent of the profits on Bait Ones merchandise was to be pledged to the British mental health charity SANE.[15][20]

Production and style

All of the material on Bait Ones was recorded during a period between 2007 and 2013 in Paul's

Bollywood movie soundtracks, with "Str8 Outta Mumbai" sampling "Baala Main Bairaagan Hoongi" by Vani Jairam from the 1979 film Meera, and clips from the Harry Potter films, Tomb Raider video games and Gossip Girl, the latter of which were absent from the official release due to sample clearance issues.[14][24] A cover of Jennifer Paige's 1998 song "Crush" also appears on the album.[6][25]

The album consists of 16 songs, most of which remain in their unfinished states with minimal retouching aside from higher fidelity adjustments.[24] Ryan Dombal of Pitchfork called the incomplete tracks "eternal works in progress", commenting that Paul's decision to keep the original mixes untouched "seems less like soothsaying and more like a compulsion".[24] Bijan Stephen of The Nation described Paul's raw production on Bait Ones as a combination of "fuzzed-out synths, chattering percussion, vocals almost buried in the mix, and a highly eclectic approach to sampling", and noted that the unfinished album was "a document of a long-past moment in time when a leak hadn’t happened yet and they were still on their way to the world."[26]

Critical reception and legacy

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Pitchfork8.9/10[24]

Some publications refrained from reviewing the 2013 leak, but critics who did choose to review the unofficial release offered mixed opinions. Lindsay Zoladz of Pitchfork praised Bait Ones as "brimming with ideas, innovation, and eccentric personality", and described Paul as "somebody moonwalking through the overcrowded digital world with a mysterious, elegantly curated grace."[5] In a negative review, Alex Macpherson of The Quietus panned the album, calling it "a load of old cobblers", criticising the "lack of mastering" and suggesting that the leak was a publicity stunt orchestrated by Paul and XL Recordings.[27]

Upon its offical release in 2019, Bait Ones received widespread critical acclaim. Shaad D'Souza of The Fader wrote that the reissue "still sounds like a cross-cultural marvel."[14] Rory Foster of The Line of Best Fit wrote that "by coming to terms with the past and allowing its release, Jai has allowed fans new and old to come together over this music; music that sent huge ripples round the internet, to many of today's greatest artists. In 2013 we lost sight of Jai Paul, but we gained this perfect, imperfect record. And as Jai says, we cannot put that shit back in the box. So it seems best to just celebrate what is one of the great records of the decade, finally available to everyone."[28]Pitchfork writer Ryan Domal called the album "the sound of borders breaking, of traditions mingling, of a utopian closeness that so often seems so far away."[24]

Accolades

Many publications named the collection of leaked material to their year-end best-of lists, ranking at number 32 in the music blog Pretty Much Amazing's "40 Best Albums of 2013",[29] number 28 in The Guardian's "Best Albums of 2013",[30] and number 20 in Pitchfork's "Top 50 Albums of 2013".[31] More recently, the leak was ranked at number 99 in "The 100 Best Albums of the Decade So Far", a list published by Pitchfork in August 2014.[32]

Pitchfork listed the album at number 95 for the 200 best albums of the 2010s.[33] Warm Visions listed the album at number 44 for the 200 Best Albums of the 2010s.[34]

In April 2023, 10 years on from the album's leak, XL Recordings announced the first vinyl release of the album, limited to 3,000 copies.[35] A second vinyl edition of the album was announced in September 2023 and received a wider release in November 2023.[36]

Year-end lists
Publication List Rank Ref.
The Guardian The Best Albums of 2013
28
[30]
Pitchfork The Top 50 Albums of 2013
20
[31]
Decade-end lists
Publication List Rank Ref.
Pitchfork The 100 Best Albums of the Decade So Far (2010–2014)
99
[32]
The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s
95
[33]

Track listing

All tracks written by Jai Paul, except where noted.

Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones) track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."One of the Bredrins" 0:10
2."Str8 Outta Mumbai"
2:42
3."Zion Wolf Theme" (unfinished) 3:07
4."Garden of Paradise" (instrumental; unfinished) 1:16
5."Genevieve" (unfinished) 3:57
6."Raw Beat" (unfinished) 0:29
7."Crush" (unfinished)
3:45
8."Good Time" 0:27
9."Jasmine" (demo)
4:13
10."100,000" (unfinished) 2:55
11."Vibin'" (unfinished) 2:43
12."Baby Beat" (unfinished) 0:40
13."Desert River" (unfinished) 3:05
14."Chix" (unfinished) 0:56
15."All Night" (unfinished) 3:12
16."BTSTU" (demo) 3:30
Total length:37:07

Samples

Personnel

  • Jai Paul – vocals, guitars, drums, synthesizers, programming, SFX, sound design, engineering, mixing
  • Anup Paul – bass guitar (9), additional vocals (16), sound design (9, 16), additional engineering (9)
  • Sam Pickering – saxophone (16)
  • Duncan Fuller – engineering
  • Lexxx – engineering
  • Guy Davie – mastering

Charts

2019 weekly chart performance for Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones)
Chart (2019) Peak
position
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[37] 14
US Billboard 200[38] 100
2023 weekly chart performance for Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones)
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Australian Vinyl Albums (ARIA)[39] 6
Scottish Albums (OCC)[40] 33
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[41] 11

Notes

  1. ^ While this is its official release date per XL Recordings, the demo album was initially leaked online on 13 April 2013 under the unofficial title Jai Paul.

References

  1. ^ Ganz, Jacob (8 June 2012). "XL Recordings: A Record Label With A Midas Touch". NPR. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  2. ^ Lester, Paul (10 May 2010). "Jai Paul (No 782)". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Jai Paul Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More | ..." AllMusic. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  4. ^ "BBC - Sound of 2011 - Jai Paul". www.bbc.co.uk. BBC. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  5. ^ a b Zoladz, Lindsay (19 April 2013). "Maximum Distortion: The Peculiar Case of Jai Paul". Pitchfork. Condé Nast. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  6. ^ a b c Tolentino, Jia (26 April 2023). "Jai Paul, a Mysterious Pop Legend, Is Finally Performing". The New Yorker. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  7. ^ "The Top 100 Tracks of 2011". Pitchfork. Condé Nast. 12 December 2011. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  8. ^ "P&P's Best Songs Of The Year 2011". Complex. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  9. ^ Jones, Charlie. "Jai Paul - Jasmine". Dummy. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  10. ^ a b Fitzmaurice, Larry. "Jai Paul: "Jasmine"". Pitchfork. Condé Nast. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  11. ^ Cragg, Michael (2 April 2012). "New music: Jai Paul – Jasmine (demo)". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  12. ^ Caramanica, Jon (13 April 2012). "Bachata Royalty, Long-Haul Rapper, Australian Brats". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  13. ^ Minsker, Evan (20 November 2012). "Big Boi Shares Vicious Lies Tracklist, Features Jai Paul, Wavves, Killer Mike, Little Dragon". Pitchfork. Condé Nast. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  14. ^ a b c D'Souza, Shaad (3 June 2019). "Six years on, Jai Paul's embrace of identity remains radical". The Fader. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  15. ^ a b c d e f DeVille, Chris (1 June 2019). "Jai Paul Officially Releases Leaked Album Plus New Songs 'Do You Love Her Now' & 'He'". Stereogum. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
  16. ^ Cooper, Duncan (13 April 2023). "Download Jai Paul's Self-Titled Debut LP". The FADER. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  17. ^ Minsker, Evan (13 April 2013). "Download Jai Paul's Self-Titled Debut Album". Pitchfork. Condé Nast. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  18. ^ "Jai Paul says newly released album is an illegal leak". The Guardian. 15 April 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  19. ^ Jai Paul (15 Apr 2013). "To confirm: demos on bandcamp were not uploaded by me, this is not my debut album. Please don't buy. Statement to follow later. Thanks, Jai". Twitter. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  20. ^ a b c d Bloom, Madison (1 June 2019). "Jai Paul Returns With 2 New Songs: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
  21. ^ "Jai Paul - Credits". jai-paul.com. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  22. ^ Rindner, Grant (12 September 2017). "How Jai Paul changed the sound of pop with just two songs". Dazed. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  23. ^ Marcus, Ezra (26 February 2019). "How Jai Paul Reshaped Popular Music". Vulture. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  24. ^ a b c d e f Dombal, Ryan (6 June 2019). "Jai Paul: Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones) Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  25. ^ a b Kamer, Foster. "In Which Jennifer Paige Reviews Jai Paul's Cover of "Crush"". Complex. No. 16 April 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  26. ^ Stephen, Bijan (27 August 2019). "The Magic of Megan Thee Stallion and Jai Paul". Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  27. ^ Macpherson, Alex (16 April 2013). "The Quietus | Opinion | Black Sky Thinking | Jai Paul: A Scam To Feed The Internet Sausage Machine". The Quietus. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  28. ^ Foster, Rory (4 June 2019). "Jai Paul's leak was, and is, a masterpiece". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  29. ^ "PMA's 40 Best Albums of 2013". Pretty Much Amazing. 18 October 2013. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  30. ^ a b "Best albums of 2013: 30–21". The Guardian. 5 December 2013. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  31. ^ a b "Pitchfork – The Top 50 Albums of 2013". Pitchfork. 18 December 2013. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  32. ^ a b "The 100 Best Albums of the Decade So Far (2010–2014)". Pitchfork. 19 August 2014. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  33. ^ a b "The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s". Pitchfork. 8 October 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  34. ^ "The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s". 18 January 2020.
  35. ^ "Jai Paul's Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones) Getting First-Ever Vinyl Release". Pitchfork. 2023-04-12. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
  36. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
  37. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  38. ^ "Jai Paul Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones) Chart History". Billboard. 15 June 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  39. ^ "ARIA Top 20 Vinyl Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 11 December 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  40. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  41. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
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