Danny! is a former student of the Savannah College of Art & Design. He often wears an oxford shirt and pinstriped necktie, and has gained notoriety for prank-calling celebrities. In 2012 Danny! rose to prominence shortly following the proclamation by The Roots drummer Questlove that there was strong interest from Jay-Z; he was subsequently signed as the flagship artist to Questlove's re-launched Okayplayer Records after years of being loosely affiliated with the company. In support of the new venture Danny! made his television debut on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" in September 2012, premiering his song "Evil" alongside The Roots.
Prior to this Danny! was most notable for his efficacious DIY approach to his music career, producing virtually every aspect of his albums—from the production to the cover art and even promotion—by himself to varying degrees of acclaim. He would field praise for his self-released concept records "Charm" and "And I Love H.E.R.", the latter named by ABC News as one of the best 50 albums of 2008, before releasing the "anti-album" "Where Is Danny?" in early 2011. After signing to Okayplayer Records the following year, Danny! completed his trilogy of conceptual albums with "Payback".
You Owe Me
Danny! Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
"Can I get...can I get a minute" - Jay-Z
"I went from niggaz tellin' me I really
shouldn't rhyme to droppin' a cla...droppin'
a classic" - Phonte
"Y'all assumed I was doomed...out of tune" - Common
"Niggaz whisperin' like bitches" - Krumbsnatcha
"Niggaz know me" - Juelz Santana
"Y'all know the name" - Pharoahe Monch
"D. Swain!" - Danny
"You owe me nigga!" - Cam'ron
(Verse 1)
Yo
Next up it's the kid with the fresh cut
Stepped up my lyrics and my spirit's in check, yup
I'm here in the flesh but, a lot of people envy my spot
They pray I'll get shot and rot in a box
I got, more detractors than I do benefactors
I'll try to interact but then it's back to basics
Back to bass kicks, penning tracks in the basement
Class act, matter fact I'm giving rapping a facelift
Haters talkin' all that smack get smacked
I rap ex-act-i-ly how I have to be
I'm glad to be the talk of the town
I offered you clowns pound
You left me hangin' so I'm tossing you down
They tried to stone me
Kicked, punched; six months later now they
Clone me; holding me up, they postpone me
Niggaz that don't know me, they're backing me now
I made it cool to be yourself, they're just jacking my style
You owe me
(*scratches by Danny*)
"Back..." - Eminem
"Owe me back" - Nas
"Back...back..." - Eminem
"Owe me back" - Nas
"Back...back..." - Eminem
"Owe me back like you owe your tax" - Nas
(Chorus)
If I gave you a beat for free
Man, you owe me
If you got your whole style from me
Nigga you owe me
Get up off of me dog, 'cause you don't know me
You below me homie, and you only slowin' me down
(Verse 2)
Okay, you claimed you
Had a couple rhymes, and your mind was correct
But I gave you beats for free, now it's time to collect
You better, stop the moochin' or I'll stop producing
The rap game kinda remind me of prostitution
The way they try to pimp me, is senseless
You ain't gotta lie to kick it dog, that's the common consensus
Don't tell me you about to blow like I'M interested
If you're, reachin' for fame
Then the fee is the same
And all these MC's in the game
Want beats from D. Swain
I ain't givin' up these treats for free
I'll tell these rappers 'no' and that'll be wise
They using lies as collateral
"Hey lemme get that beat dog, I swear I'll give it back to you"
Cats claimin' that they reppin' the streets
I'll hook you up but how you expect me to eat? That's real
These niggaz forcin' me to go the unemployment route
Now that I'm famous I'ma be sendin' invoices out
You owe me
(Danny! talking)
Yeah...you remember that beat
The one I tracked out for you?
Yeah, THAT one, the one with the hi-hats you said was all loud and shit
Well make the check out to Kiss My Ass III, nigga...ASAP
(Chorus)
(Verse 3)
Yo I been out here in the struggle since the struggle began
I'm 'bout to blow, I ain't talking 'bout a plug and two fans
My third album and I'm lovin' it man
The Times & Democrat ain't gotta interview me, the Republican
Pat Buchanan, I pack two cannons:
My beat-making abilities and raps you can relate to
I hate to, come off like I'm arrogant but
I really -- who am I kiddin', I'm arrogant as fuck
Niggaz forced to take snapshots, 'cause staring ain't enough
Food for thought; I hope you let it marinate enough
Who'd have thought, this cat inherit major bucks?
Wow! I can picture all these MC's now
They'll be like, "Funny how D. Swain was on some cruddy shit
Took home '3 Feet High & Rising', listened, studied shit
Now he's on some 'Buddy' shit, insightful out the blue"
They'll hate but then they'll try to bite like Tyson's mouth'll do
Now that I'm famous all these strangers that was doin' me favors
Like my success they had a hand in, now they got their hands out
Niggaz that don't know me try to act like they my homie
Tap me on the should-ey
Like, "D. Swain, I think ya owe me"
The song "You Owe Me" by Danny! addresses an issue in the hip-hop industry where people take advantage of a beatmaker or rapper’s talent without offering anything in return. Danny! begins the song by quoting several famous rappers who have faced similar problems. He then discusses how he has more detractors than benefactors and how they are envious of his success, praying for him to fail. He says that people stole his style but didn’t offer anything back to him. He speaks about how he offered to collaborate with artists but they left him hanging, so he is tossing them aside now.
In the chorus, Danny! discusses how people owe him for giving them beats for free or stealing his style. He says that people don't know him and are slowing him down. He then speaks more about how people have been using lies as collateral and forcing him to go the unemployment route. These people then act as if they were the ones behind his success, whereas they had nothing to do with it. The song ends with Danny! being arrogant about his success and how people are only trying to get close to him because of his success.
Line by Line Meaning
"Can I get...can I get a minute" - Jay-Z
Can I please have your attention for a moment?
"I went from niggaz tellin' me I really shouldn't rhyme to droppin' a cla...droppin' a classic" - Phonte
At one point, people thought I wasn't good enough to rap but now I've dropped a classic album.
"Y'all assumed I was doomed...out of tune" - Common
You all thought I had no chance of succeeding but I proved you wrong.
"Niggaz whisperin' like bitches" - Krumbsnatcha
People are talking about me behind my back like a bunch of gossipy women.
"Niggaz know me" - Juelz Santana
People are aware of who I am and what I'm capable of.
"Lucky they don't owe me" - the Notorious BIG
People should be thankful that they don't owe me anything because I would expect them to pay up.
"Y'all know the name" - Pharoahe Monch
You all know who I am and what I've accomplished.
"D. Swain!" - Danny
My name is Danny and I'm the one rapping now.
"You owe me nigga!" - Cam'ron
You owe me for the beats and success I helped you achieve.
"Back..." - Eminem
This is a sample from Eminem's song 'The Real Slim Shady'.
"Owe me back" - Nas
This is a sample from Nas' song 'The Message'.
"Back...back..." - Eminem
Another sample from Eminem's 'The Real Slim Shady'.
"Owe me back like you owe your tax" - Nas
Nas is saying that you need to pay him back like you owe the IRS for taxes.
"If I gave you a beat for free
Man, you owe me"
If I gave you a beat without charging you, you now owe me something in return.
"If you got your whole style from me
Nigga you owe me"
If you copied your rapping style from me, you owe me credit and recognition for my influence.
"Get up off of me dog, 'cause you don't know me
You below me homie, and you only slowin' me down"
You need to stop hanging around me because you don't know me and you're preventing me from moving forward.
"Okay, you claimed you
Had a couple rhymes, and your mind was correct
But I gave you beats for free, now it's time to collect
You better, stop the moochin' or I'll stop producing"
You said you could rap and had a good mindset, but I gave you beats without payment and now you need to pay me back. If you don't, I'll stop producing for you.
"The way they try to pimp me, is senseless
You ain't gotta lie to kick it dog, that's the common consensus
Don't tell me you about to blow like I'M interested"
I'm tired of people trying to take advantage of me. Don't lie to me just to get ahead because I'm not interested in hearing it.
"If you're, reachin' for fame
Then the fee is the same
And all these MC's in the game
Want beats from D. Swain
I ain't givin' up these treats for free
I'll tell these rappers 'no' and that'll be wise"
If you're trying to make it big, you'll need to pay for my beats. All the other rappers want my beats too, but I won't give them for free. Saying 'no' will be the smart decision for them.
"Now that I'm famous I'ma be sendin' invoices out"
Now that I'm successful, I'll be sending out invoices to all the people who owe me for my work.
"I'm 'bout to blow, I ain't talking 'bout a plug and two fans
My third album and I'm lovin' it man
The Times & Democrat ain't gotta interview me, the Republican
Pat Buchanan, I pack two cannons:
My beat-making abilities and raps you can relate to"
My album is about to be really successful. I don't need the Times & Democrat to interview me because I'm already doing well. I have two weapons: my beat-making skills and relatable raps.
"Who'd have thought, this cat inherit major bucks?"
Who would've thought that I would inherit a lot of money?
"They'll hate but then they'll try to bite like Tyson's mouth'll do
Now that I'm famous all these strangers that was doin' me favors
Like my success they had a hand in, now they got their hands out
Niggaz that don't know me try to act like they my homie
Tap me on the should-ey
Like, "D. Swain, I think ya owe me"
People will hate on me but then try to copy me. Now that I'm famous, strangers who didn't help me are trying to take credit for my success. People who don't know me well will act like my friend and ask for things like I owe them.
Contributed by Oliver I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Reuben Miller
1st. No, I don't have anything better to say. What are you gonna do about it?