[Intro] I wrote the pitch, I closed the deal, I did the math at home He stood up in the meeting, read my slides like they were his own [Verse 1] Ngga, when you been broke Back against the rope And tryna hang onto hope This the last ounce of it 2 steps back Ainβt the way to go What frustration feel like UK Emmy White Chris donβt know When you overqualified Talking KPIs Got the Business tryna grow And they tryna stunt you Man, they used to hunt you Now they playin wit ya dough Tryna tell me bout myself Strength and weaknesses Got me soundin like a hoe Stealing ideas Using ebonics When they present They slideshows Product removed from culture Leave a boardroom Of vultures tryna call me bro No [Pre-Chorus 1] Call me sweetheart in the meeting Call me bossy when I speak Take my idea, slap your badge on it Cash it on repeat Keep your pizza party, keep your little plaque I don't want a gold star, darling, I want my money back [Chorus 1] Pay up R-E S-P E-C T Me B-O S-S U-P Boss up R-E S-P E-C T Me P-A Y U-P Pay up [Drop] Pay up, pay up, put it on the table Boss up, boss up, I was always able Pay up, pay up, every cent you owe me Boss up, boss up, you don't get to own me [Verse 2] Came in with a master's and a notebook full of plans They sat me by the printer, said to smile and shake some hands I trained the new guy, Kevin, taught him every trick I had He got the corner office and the bonus, I got "not bad" When I spoke up in the meeting I was "moody," I was "much" When he yelled across the table, they said Kevin's got the touch They cut my team in half and called it trimming out the fat And asked me with a smile if I could cover all of that So I saved the files, I saved the clients, saved the contacts too Walked out with the whole account, Kevin, what you gonna do? [Pre-Chorus 2] Call me difficult, call me cold Say I'm "not a culture fit" I made your company its money So I'm taking half of it [Chorus 2] R-E S-P E-C T Me B-O S-S U-P Boss up R-E S-P E-C T Me P-A Y U-P Pay up [Bridge/Breakdown] You ain't gotta smile for 'em I ain't smilin' for a check that's half the size You ain't gotta beg for it I ain't beggin', I'm the prize Put a price on what you bring I did the math, I set the fee And baby, you can't afford me! [Final Chorus] R-E S-P E-C T Me B-O S-S U-P Boss up R-E S-P E-C T Me P-A Y U-P Pay up [Outro] Keep the plaque, keep the pizza, keep the corner office, Kev I run the firm across the road, and all your clients left Boss up, pay up, check your inbox, hon That's the invoice for the work I've done
