[Intro | sparse 808 pulse, ticking hi-hat, spoken Queens delivery] Respect? Man, what am I supposed to do with respect? Respect don't keep the lights on. Run the wire. [Verse 1 | on top of the beat, aggressive Queens rap flow, syncopated dembow pocket] You bent up 'bout a boardroom and stolen slide deck? I only step inside to verify the check. You want an olive branch and handshakes from the suits, I'm on Jamaica Ave in scuffed-up winter boots. They took your whole pitch, turned it into ad-spend, You crying, hoping that a vulture is your friend? No diversity committee on the seventh floor, Invoice thirty late, put a padlock on the door. [Pre-Chorus | half-time drawl, stripped bassline, rising snare roll] Keep the corporate title, skip the speech, Ain't a single lesson left to teach. Empty praise don't pay the city fee, Spell it out if you want piece of me. [Chorus | hard dembow drop, call-and-response chant, heavy 808] R-E S-P E-C-T? Nah! P-A Y U-P Pay up! (wire it!) Keep your respect, I want the fee, R-E-S-P-E-C-T? P-A Y U-P Pay up! (count that!) [Verse 2 | staccato chop, triplet flow, driving percussive bounce] You talking code-switch, I talk advance, I never left my supper to an office dance. You waited on promotion to a fancy seat, While they planned the layoffs right across the street. I don't kiss a ring, I don't plead a case, Put the penalty clause right in their face. Net fifteen or the work stays locked, Chase wire cleared before the morning clock. [Pre-Chorus | half-time drawl, stripped bassline, rising snare roll] Keep the corporate title, skip the speech, Ain't a single lesson left to teach. Empty praise don't pay the city fee, Spell it out if you want piece of me. [Chorus | hard dembow drop, call-and-response chant, heavy 808] R-E S-P E-C-T? Nah! P-A Y U-P Pay up! (wire it!) Keep your respect, I want the fee, R-E-S-P-E-C-T? P-A Y U-P Pay up! (count that!) [Bridge | stripped sub bass, half-time breakdown, intimate dry vocal] Hustler, businessman, pick a label, None of that matters at the kitchen table. You want their stamp, you want their crown, I take the wire and I shut them down. Respect is a ghost when the fridge is bare, Nothing in the mail but the final glare. [Final Chorus | full festival basshall drop, aggressive ad-libs, sirens] R-E S-P E-C-T? Nah! P-A Y U-P Pay up! (cash on delivery!) Keep your respect, I want the fee, R-E-S-P-E-C-T? P-A Y U-P Pay up! (run me that!) [Outro | drums drop out, tape delay echo throw, fading sub bass] R-E-S-P... keep the vowels. Pay up. First of the month. Queens get the money. (tape stop)
