The Notorious B.I.G.

Respect

[Verse 1]

Nineteen-seventy somethin', nigga I don't sweat the date
My moms is late so I had to plan my escape
out the skins, in this world of fly girls
Tanqueray and Hennessy until I cold hurl
Ten months in this gut, what the fuck
I wish moms'd hurry up so I could get buck
wild, juvenile rippin' mics and shit
New York New York, ready for the likes of this, uh
Then came the worst date, May 21st
2:19, that's when my momma water burst
No spouse in the house so she rode for self
to the hospital, to see if she could get a little help
Umbilical cord's wrapped around my neck
I'm seein' my death and I ain't even took my first step
I made it out, I'm bringin' mad joy
The doctor looked and said, "He's gonna be a Bad Boy"

[Verse 2]

Now I'm thirteen, smokin' blunts, makin' cream
On the drug scene, fuck a football team
Riskin' ruptured spleens by the age of sixteen
Hearin' the coach scream at my lifetime dream, I mean
I wanna blow up, stack my dough up
So school I didn't show up, it fucked my flow up
Mom said that I should grow up and check myself
before I wreck myself, disrespect myself
Put the drugs on the shelf? Nah, couldn't see it
Scarface, King of New York, I wanna be it
Rap was secondary, money was necessary
Until I got incarcerated--kinda scary
C74-Mark 8 set me straight
Not able to move behind the great steel gate
Time to contemplate, damn, where did I fail?
All the money I stacked was all the money for bail

[Verse 3]

Ninety-four, now I explore new horizons
Mama smile when she see me, that's surprisin'
Honeys is tantalizin', they freak all night
Peep duckin' cops on the creep all night
As I open my eyes and realizin' I changed
Not the same deranged child stuck up in the game
And to my niggas livin' street life
Learn to treat life to the best, put stress to rest
Still tote your vest man, niggas be trippin'
In the streets without a gat? Nah, nigga you're slippin'
If I'm pimpin on The F with weed on my breath
Original hustler with the muffler on the Tec
Respect to the Mac's and the Ac's
To the freaks in the Jeeps, lick shots to my peeps