Rules 101

[Timbo King] Rule number one, never let a label see you stressing Follow my directions, on these industry lessons Two, keep a straight head for you meetings Looks are deceiving, cuz crooks, they be beating Three, copies of your tape is a no-no Cuz niggas make promos, and sell your shit for dolo Four, before you get jerked, learn the business Surviving in this game of snakes, is very thin less Five, negotiate a deal with the proper figures Cut off the middle man, fuck with only real niggas Six, let ya lawyer fix broken clauses Your first option, date to get paid, pro rate it Seven, I'm here to school all stupid fools Individuals, niggas want residuals Eight, concentrate, study legal terms On the real, stay away from all evil firms Nine, ask for all and musician funds Blood suckers of the poor, this how this business runs Ten, I'm giving you the information One through twenty, Royal rules and regulations [Hook x2: Timbo King] You know the rules... [Timbo King] Yo, eleven, an album deal can be very tricky Speaking with experience, two labels tried to stick me Twelve, you gotta sell a whole lot of units I'm business minded, here to teach all students Thirteen, advance money is recoupable Breach of contract, loopholes are very suitable Fourteen, try to start a bidding war No matter what, you'se a write-off, so what you signing for? Fifteen, star status is so surprising Make sure you get all rights on merchandising Sixteen, avoid silly allegations Kickback, side deals, kills your reputation Seventeen, this advice is important Bullshit politics down to extortion Eighteen, don't let your dreams get deleted Without the Royal rules, your career is uncompleted Nineteen, incentives slash percentage Money back, guaranteed, hell no, he spent his Rule twenty, keep it focused on consistence Take care of yours, when it comes to this business [Hook x5]