Naughty by Nature is a hip hop group that at the time of its formation in 1… Read Full Bio ↴Naughty by Nature is a hip hop group that at the time of its formation in 1991, consisted of Treach, Vinnie, and the DJ Kay Gee.

The group formed in East Orange, New Jersey, and first appeared on the music scene in the late 1980's releasing an album titled The Independent Leaders, under their then name The New Style. The album generated the minor hit "Scuffin' Those Knees". After the release of their first album, the group was subsequently mentored by fellow New Jersey native Queen Latifah and consequently changed their name.

Their first hit as Naughty By Nature was a track titled "O.P.P." ("Other People's Parts"), which sampled the The Jackson 5's hit "ABC" and was released in 1991 on their self-titled debut album. The album also generated another hit titled "Ghetto Bastard" (the track is often referred to as "Everything's Gonna Be Alright"). Fellow New Jersey native Tony D, accused Naughty by Nature of stealing a sample from his breakbeat album Music Makes You Move and using it on their track "O.P.P.". The matter was settled out of court. Later they had multiple hits from their third and fourth albums, titled 19 Naughty III and Poverty's Paradise respectively.

"Hip Hop Hooray" was a success from the album 19 Naughty III. Its video was directed by Spike Lee and featured other hip-hop artists popular in the early 1990's, including Queen Latifah, Eazy-E, and Kris Kross.

The group also scored a major hit with the track "Uptown Anthem", from the soundtrack to the 2Pac movie Juice.

In later years, Naughty by Nature started their own music imprint, Illtown Records, and released an album from their proteges the Rottin Razkals. The group (mainly Kaygee) worked closely with a number of rnb groups over the years particularly Zhané and Next.

An ongoing dispute between Kaygee and Treach saw Kaygee leave Naughty by Nature in late 2000 to concentrate on his Divine Mill label. The remainder of the group released an album in 2002 titled IIcons, using a variety of different producers including Da Beatminerz - the album however received a lukewarm reception from the public. Treach is rumoured to be releasing a solo album soon. Kaygee has been extremely successful building his Divine Mill imprint with 2 platinum plus albums on both (Divine Mill acts) Jaheim and Next as well as songs on albums from Syleena Johnson and Charlie Wilson among others. In May 2006 Kay Gee reunited with Treach and Naughty by Nature at a concert at B.B. King's nightclub. They will be working together on their next album.

Respect Due
Naughty By Nature Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

[Treach]
We're on wax and it concerns ya that's make us eternal like a picture
Ya bitch ya, I'll fix ya, raise a rapture ripped ya scripture
I'll mac a meal in fact until I stack the bills ta rack the skills
Ta get a track ta kill them rap at will, the I is capital
Double L, lower case t-o-w-n
No trouble, I'll bust your bubble then leave you for ruin
Such come a dime a dozen, fuck some

You lost the race by a dick slut's cum 'cause nuts won
What fun freaking it frequently, freak wit me, slick ta freak quick
Your girl's poonany's packed like the freaknic
We get redicu-down-diculous and devious, believe me bitch
Now your fucking soul ain't so mischievous
Diss who? We're the hip-hop rap pounder founder
Ricocheting PM to AM, frying freestyle flounders
Big as bouncers
Ounce ta ounces
Don't make us check you
Yes you, just know respect due!

[Vinnie]
I'm hearing niggas in the game yappin this yappin that
Talking Vinnie don't write and Vinnie can't rap
But I bet if you put a pen and pad in my hand
I could write it in your face my friend, put it on tape and then
Give it to my nigga Kay Gee, he produces me
Pump it through the Flavor Unit, spread it through the industry
The next three weeks my single done peaked on the rap sheets
Sound's knocking from malls to swap meets
And then there's oh mad tours and oh mad whores
We sign autographs by the G's in the in-stores
And then there's oh mad sex and ASCAP checks
So when I, um, plex it, it's me I'm in the beamer or Lexus
Guess which nigga is next to flex this
Style that I be rippin's authentic so don't text this

[Treach]
You can fool some of the people some of the time but not all of the people all of the time
Some of the rhymes some of the times 'cause some of the 9's some of em mine
And bout a brown as Bobby wit a trolley
To bury Halle, it's chocolate so pardon Dolly as a hobby
When it comes to harm me ya don't alarm me
'cause I roll wit Double I and Ron G's army
So that's 235 on a slang bang
And see Ron wit a nigga for fucking A-Train
And that's deep like the minds of Minolta
Deep ditch like the Swedish knits on John Travolta
If you don't look good we don't look good
These nuts that soon clear the room
So boom to the break and break, ah, to the snap
And snap ta the beat, I'll freak them, bring it back

So's I had no choice but ta roll wit the flow
Plus I came over the bridge and I ain't wasting my toll

Overall Meaning

The song "Respect Due" by Naughty By Nature is a rap song with verses from two members of the group, Treach and Vinnie. The song is about their success and achievements in the music industry and how they demand respect for their hard work. The song begins with Treach claiming that they are eternal on wax, and their pictures are eternal like a picture. He goes on to say that he will destroy anyone who tries to challenge him, and his lyrics are strong and powerful. He also boasts about his skills and talks about other rappers who have failed to reach his level. Treach sends a strong message to the listeners to respect his skills and not to mess with him.

On the other hand, Vinnie talks about the false rumors about him that he cannot write or rap. He challenges his listeners that he can write and rap better than anyone. Vinnie says that he can write in front of anyone, put it on tape, and give it to his producer, Kay Gee, who will spread it throughout the industry. Vinnie also talks about his promotional tours, fans, and success in the music industry.

In summary, the song is about the success and achievements of the group and their demand for respect from the listeners.

Line by Line Meaning

We're on wax and it concerns ya that's make us eternal like a picture
Our music will outlast time as it is recorded on wax and will live forever like a picture

Ya bitch ya, I'll fix ya, raise a rapture ripped ya scripture
I'll defeat you in a rap battle and tear apart your rhymes

I'll mac a meal in fact until I stack the bills ta rack the skills
I'll keep making music until I become successful and earn money from it

Ta get a track ta kill them rap at will, the I is capital
I'll create a track that will be so good, it will impress others and show off my rap skills

Double L, lower case t-o-w-n
Referring to himself as Treach from East Orange, New Jersey

No trouble, I'll bust your bubble then leave you for ruin
I'll defeat you easily and leave you ruined

Such come a dime a dozen, fuck some
There are many rappers like you, so I don't care about you

You lost the race by a dick slut's cum 'cause nuts won
You lost the competition due to someone's help, which is unfair and improper

What fun freaking it frequently, freak wit me, slick ta freak quick
It's enjoyable to frequently create songs and rap, so join me and we'll do it quickly

Your girl's poonany's packed like the freaknic
Your girlfriend's private area is crowded like the annual Freaknik festival in Atlanta

We get redicu-down-diculous and devious, believe me bitch
We can be very ridiculous and deceitful, so don't doubt our skills

Now your fucking soul ain't so mischievous
After I defeated you, your spirit is no longer as mischievous

Diss who? We're the hip-hop rap pounder founder
Who are you dissing? We are the founders of hip-hop rap music

Ricocheting PM to AM, frying freestyle flounders
Our music is played from night to day, and we effortlessly flow with our freestyles

Big as bouncers, Ounce ta ounces
We are significant like bouncers at a club, and can sell music by the ounce

Don't make us check you, Yes you, just know respect due!
Don't provoke us, you should respect us and our music

I'm hearing niggas in the game yappin this yappin that
I'm hearing other rappers talking nonsense and trash about me

Talking Vinnie don't write and Vinnie can't rap
Other rappers say that I can't write or rap, which is untrue

But I bet if you put a pen and pad in my hand
I'm confident that if given a chance, I could create great music

I could write it in your face my friend, put it on tape and then
I'm so confident in my abilities that I could write music in front of anyone, record it and it would still be great

Give it to my nigga Kay Gee, he produces me
I give my music to my friend, Kay Gee, to produce it

Pump it through the Flavor Unit, spread it through the industry
We promote our music through Flavor Unit and spread it throughout the entire industry

The next three weeks my single done peaked on the rap sheets
My single reached its peak on the music charts over a period of three weeks

Sound's knocking from malls to swap meets
My music is becoming popular from shopping malls to swap meets

And then there's oh mad tours and oh mad whores
I get lots of tours and lots of attention from lots of women

We sign autographs by the G's in the in-stores
We sign autographs for fans at stores and earn money from it

And then there's oh mad sex and ASCAP checks
I have lots of sex and get paid through ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers)

So when I, um, plex it, it's me I'm in the beamer or Lexus
When I show off my wealth, I do it by driving a BMW or Lexus

Guess which nigga is next to flex this
You should know that I'm the next one to show off my skills

Style that I be rippin's authentic so don't text this
The style of music that I create is authentic, so don't copy or imitate it

You can fool some of the people some of the time but not all of the people all of the time
You can trick some people for a while, but eventually they will catch on to your deception

Some of the rhymes some of the times 'cause some of the 9's some of em mine
Some of the rhymes that are popular are mine because I'm a great rapper

And bout a brown as Bobby wit a trolley
Referring to himself as a brown-skinned person like Bobby Brown with a lot of money (trolley is slang for money)

To bury Halle, it's chocolate so pardon Dolly as a hobby
I have enough money to buy a chocolate-colored Rolls-Royce and it's just a hobby for me

When it comes to harm me ya don't alarm me
You can't harm me, I'm not afraid of you

'cause I roll wit Double I and Ron G's army
I'm protected by my friends Double I and Ron G

So that's 235 on a slang bang
Referring to the I-235 highway in New Jersey, I'm driving and rapping on it

And see Ron wit a nigga for fucking A-Train
Ron is having sex with a woman on a train

And that's deep like the minds of Minolta
Referring to Minolta cameras and their deep thinking involved in taking photos

Deep ditch like the Swedish knits on John Travolta
John Travolta's sweater has a deep ditch, like a ravine

If you don't look good we don't look good
If you don't respect us or our music, we don't care

These nuts that soon clear the room
My lyrics are so vulgar they will make people leave the room

So boom to the break and break, ah, to the snap
We'll make explosive music that people will love

And snap ta the beat, I'll freak them, bring it back
I'll dance to the music and bring it back to the beat

So's I had no choice but ta roll wit the flow
I had no choice but to follow my dreams and make music

Plus I came over the bridge and I ain't wasting my toll
I've crossed over from East Orange, New Jersey to New York City and I won't waste my money by not pursuing music

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: VINCENT BROWN, ANTHONY CRISS, EDWARD JR. FORDHAM, MARVIN GAYE, KEIR GIST, BERRY, JR GORDY, MARCUS JONES, ALPHONSO MIZELL, JAMES NYX, FREDDIE PERREN, ANTONIO PERRY, DEKE RICHARDS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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