Put You On Game

[Intro] Yeah Listen close Experience costs less when you learn from somebody else's receipt [Verse 1] Before you sign your name, read the bottom of the page A handshake feels warm till the fine print locks the cage They'll praise your vision, then negotiate your breath Put a clock on every promise, put a price tag on respect Keep the numbers in a ledger, keep the copies in a file Don't let a hungry room convince you that a smile means they loyal Everybody loves the table when the dinner's getting served Watch who brings a chair when the work is getting done first I was young, chasing motion, mistook noise for a plan Gave access to a few, had to take it back by hand Now the circle stays intentional, the circle stays small If they only call for favor, they don't know you at all [Pre-Chorus] Count it twice, check the terms, let the silence do its work Never trade a steady future for a compliment that hurts [Chorus] Let me put you on game, don't confuse it with advice Read the contract, count the money, know the cost and know the price Keep your word, watch their actions, loyalty is what remains When the room gets rearranged, see who stays and who changes Put you on game, put you on game Learn the lesson once, don't pay the same fee again Put you on game, put you on game Move with purpose, keep your name, let the paper speak plain [Verse 2] Industry smiles come polished, but the motives may be rough A manager can call you family while the split is cutting up Ask who owns the masters, ask who controls the route Ask what happens if the checks stop and the lights all go out Don't let a label's urgency become your emergency Every promise needs a timestamp, every favor needs receipts Some will stand beside your hunger, disappear beside your plate Some will study every weakness just to use it as a gate Keep the business out of anger, keep the friendship out of deals If the numbers break the friendship, the friendship wasn't real I don't move on rumors, I confirm before I speak And I never let a desperate month decide my next ten weeks [Ad-libs] Read it Check it Stay ready No shortcuts [Chorus] Let me put you on game, don't confuse it with advice Read the contract, count the money, know the cost and know the price Keep your word, watch their actions, loyalty is what remains When the room gets rearranged, see who stays and who changes Put you on game, put you on game Learn the lesson once, don't pay the same fee again Put you on game, put you on game Move with purpose, keep your name, let the paper speak plain [Verse 3] Money talks in quiet rooms, never boast before it's cleared Build a cushion for the winter, keep your vision engineered Don't spend just to look established, don't flex what you can't replace A rented image has a deadline and it shows up in your face Invest into the skill set, make the asset make a sound Own a piece of what you build, don't just celebrate the amount When the wins begin to widen, keep the habits that got you there And if they call you difficult for asking, they were never playing fair I have seen a fake friend turn a private thought public Seen a small advance become a chain when the paperwork was crooked So I teach it from the scar tissue, every line came with a fee You can learn it from my losses, keep your future in your reach [Bridge] No rush in the signature No shame in the question If they fear your clarity That's your first protection [Final Chorus] Let me put you on game, don't confuse it with advice Read the contract, count the money, know the cost and know the price Keep your word, watch their actions, loyalty is what remains When the room gets rearranged, see who stays and who changes Put you on game, put you on game Learn the lesson once, don't pay the same fee again Put you on game, put you on game Move with purpose, keep your name, let the paper speak plain [Outro] Keep the copies Keep the counsel Keep your name clean And let time reveal the team