"B.O.T.A. (Baddest of Them All)" is a song by English DJs

Eliza Rose Eliza Rose (born 28 November 1991) is an English DJ, music producer and singer. Born in the East End of London, Rose grew up in Dalston and began working at the Flashback record shop when she was 14 years old. A fan of soul and jazz music, she s ...

and Interplanetary Criminal. Written and performed by Rose, it includes a sample of

Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam were an urban contemporary band and one of the first freestyle music groups to emerge from New York City in the 1980s. Cult Jam consisted of vocalist Lisa Lisa (born Lisa Valez), guitarist/bassist Alex "Spanador" Moseley, a ...

's 1991 song " Let the Beat Hit 'Em" (LL W:Love RC Mix). "B.O.T.A." initially received a digital and limited

dubplate A dubplate is an acetate disc usually of 10 inches diameter, traditionally used by studios to test recordings prior to mastering for the subsequent pressing of a vinyl record, but pioneered by reggae sound systems as a way to play exclusive music ...

release through Rose's

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

Rosebud Recordings on 15 June 2022. After gaining popularity through DJ sets at the

Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...

, the track went viral on the app

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and was released on a licensing deal through

Warner Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

on 12 August 2022. The song topped the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

for two consecutive weeks, and became the chart's milestone 1,400th number-one single, and the first by a female DJ since Sonique's "

It Feels So Good "It Feels So Good" is a song by British singer Sonique (singer), Sonique. It was originally released on 9 November 1998 and peaked at number 24 on the UK Singles Chart. In May 2000, in the wake of the song's success in the United States, the s ...

" in 2000. "B.O.T.A. (Baddest of Them All)" also charted in the top 10 in Australia, Lithuania and New Zealand, and spent six weeks at number one on the

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are bas ...

. Rose performed the song live at the 25th MOBO Awards alongside Sonique and

Sweet Female Attitude Sweet Female Attitude is an electronic music act from Manchester, England. They are known for the UK garage remix by Sunship of their track "Flowers", written by Martin Green a.k.a. Shine MC and Mike Powell, which reached number two on the U ...

. In December 2022, "B.O.T.A." was certified platinum in the UK and Australia, and appeared in critic year-end lists by the ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'', ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' and ''

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''. In January 2023 it placed second in Australia's Triple J Hottest 100 for 2022.

Background

Eliza Rose had been a DJ on the London circuit for 7 years. In February 2022, she signed to One House. According to Rose, the song originated when she was provided the beat by Manchester-based producer DJ Zach Bruce (Interplanetary Criminal). She then wrote majority of the song within a few minutes, emphasising adding "cutesy" elements as well as "grittiness". She detailed the thought process behind the song in an interview, saying: "This track is so nostalgic. When I first heard the beat it gave me instant memories of growing up in the 90s and the bubblegum-tinged dance music from that time. Going on seaside holidays, hanging around the surreal atmospheres of the arcade, meeting boys, and being cute and flirty. Then you have the "Baddest of Them All" lyric that counteracts that innocence and adds the edge, which came to me at just the right time via a Jackie Brown Blaxploitation poster. It definitely reflects the two contrasting aspects of my personality. Girly and cutesie, but a bit of a bad gal too!"

Composition

The song was described as a "supremely fun, suave, 4×4 anthem with plenty of swagger and flirtatious lyrics that permeate your mind." ''

Dazed ''Dazed'' (''Dazed & Confused'' until February 2014) is a bi-monthly British style magazine founded in 1991. It covers music, fashion, film, art, and literature. Dazed is published by Dazed Media, an independent media group known for producing ...

'' said that the song "has elements of

UK garage UK garage, abbreviated as UKG, is a genre of electronic dance music which originated in England in the early to mid-1990s. The genre was most clearly inspired by garage house, but also incorporates elements from dance-pop, R&B, and jungle. It ...

, which remains one of Rose's biggest inspirations, and maybe a little dash of

PC Music PC Music is a record label and art collective based in London and run by producer A. G. Cook. It was founded in 2013, making its music available on SoundCloud that year. Artists on its roster have included Hannah Diamond, GFOTY, Danny L Harle, ...

, but really it's a tribute to 90s dance."

Music video

The music video was released on 15 June 2022 and was filmed in Rose's home of Hackney, London. Directed by Jeanie Crystal, it features guest appearances by drag icon Ms Sharon Le Grand, Vogue Ball founder Taboo, dancer Sakeema Peng Crook and artist Wet Mess. Julian Broad worked on the video as a lighting technician. The

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequel ...

-inspired video celebrates the LGBTQ+ performance community.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 2022 songs 2022 singles Eliza Rose songs Irish Singles Chart number-one singles UK Singles Chart number-one singles