Patient

The song "Patient" by Post Malone is a commentary on the artist's evolution and adaptation to the pressures and pitfalls of fame. At its core, the track explores the loss of innocence and the development of a hardened, assertive persona as a defense mechanism against the exploitative nature of the music industry. The central theme is captured in the chorus's pivotal line, "Used to be so damn patient / But now it's 'Fuck you, pay me'." This signifies a shift from a more accommodating and perhaps naive disposition to one of demanding respect and fair compensation, a lesson learned through negative experiences.

Lyrically, the song juxtaposes the lavish rewards of success—diamond-encrusted wrists, expensive cars, and newfound attention—with the loneliness and suspicion that accompany it. Post Malone reflects on how people's attitudes change after an artist's rise to fame, stating, "It's like after you pop off / They all act like they know ya." This highlights a world of superficial relationships where he must constantly guard against those seeking to take advantage of him. He also alludes to specific frustrations, including unnamed individuals who deliberately delayed the release of his debut album, Stoney, reinforcing his newfound cynicism and determination to take control of his career.

The song also serves as a declaration of self-preservation. Despite the bravado and materialistic displays, Malone insists he won't let money fundamentally change who he is, as it's not how his mother raised him. This internal conflict between maintaining his integrity and adopting a tough exterior is a key aspect of the song's meaning, presenting it as both a celebration of success and a cautionary tale about its personal costs.

The narrative unfolds with an immediate assertion of newfound wealth and status, symbolized by a "dancin' crazy" wrist adorned with expensive jewelry. This outward display of success is contrasted with a significant internal shift: the narrator, once known for his patience, now operates on a zero-tolerance policy for disrespect or exploitation, summed up by the blunt mantra, "Fuck you, pay me." Despite this hardened exterior, he insists that money hasn't fundamentally altered his core values, a principle instilled by his mother. He acknowledges the boastful nature of his claims but feels justified by his circumstances.

The first verse delves deeper into the paranoia and defensiveness that accompany his success. He mentions yellow diamonds and his elusiveness, suggesting that while many desire what he has, they cannot reach him. There's a darker, more confrontational edge as he speaks of sleeping next to a firearm, citing a distrust of the government and a need to shut down any schemes against him. The world around him is filled with transactional relationships; he's surrounded by luxury items like a Ferrari and people drawn to his wealth, including women and supposed friends. He draws a parallel between himself and the infamous Pablo Escobar, noting how everyone wants to be associated with him now that he's "popped off," highlighting the superficiality of these new connections.

The recurring chorus reinforces his transformation from patient to demanding, a necessary evolution to navigate the treacherous landscape of his new life. He remains determined not to be psychologically affected ("phased") by the phoniness he encounters. This repetition emphasizes his core conflict: balancing the spoils of success with the mental toll it takes to protect himself.

The second verse expands on his evasive maneuvers, both literal—swerving on the highway—and figurative—being contained but never truly stopped. He describes a world where people's motives are suspect; a woman's interest is assumed to be transactional, and "friendly" people are merely trying to get a piece of his earnings. He directly calls out his detractors, those who talk behind his back without ever having met him, and hints at personal betrayals. He makes a pointed reference to "wastemen" and people who delayed his album's release, vowing to make them pay and asserting that his ultimate plan cannot be thwarted. This section is a direct address to the industry insiders and haters who created obstacles for him. The verse culminates in another flash of opulence—a busting Rolex—a symbol of his ultimate victory over their attempts to hold him back. The song concludes by cycling through the chorus, cementing the idea that his impatience is a hard-earned survival mechanism in a world that only respects power and money.

"Patient" is a track from Post Malone's debut studio album, Stoney, which was released on December 9, 2016. The song itself was released as a promotional single on November 18, 2016. It was created during the recording sessions for the album, a period in which Post Malone was navigating his rapid ascent to fame following the viral success of his 2015 single "White Iverson."

The song was produced by Louis Bell, who became one of Post Malone's closest and most frequent collaborators. Bell produced or co-produced a significant portion of the Stoney album, including the hit single "Congratulations." According to Post Malone, the creation of "Patient" began with Bell crafting the beat in the studio. Malone was immediately drawn to its unique flow and began developing the melody. He described the process as collaborative and iterative, stating they sat with the beat for a couple of hours to write the lyrics. He recorded some initial "drunk scratches in the booth" to figure out the structure, and as the melodies became more defined, the words came easier.

In a "Verified" interview with Genius, Post Malone explained that the song's theme stemmed from his experiences as a young artist (he was 21 at the time) feeling pushed around by people in the music industry. He specifically mentioned frustrations with "more than one group of people" who made his life difficult and were responsible for the delay of the Stoney album. This experience directly inspired the song's defiant chorus, marking a turning point where he felt he had to stop being nice and demand what he was owed.

"Patient" is built on a foundation of modern hip-hop rhythm and rhyme schemes that enhance its laid-back yet assertive mood.

Rhythm:

The song is set to a moderate, trap-influenced tempo. The rhythmic structure is driven by a prominent, deep 808 bass line and syncopated hi-hat patterns typical of the genre. Post Malone's vocal delivery is notably relaxed and slightly behind the beat, a technique known as back-phrasing. This creates a characteristic "lazy" or "woozy" flow that sounds effortless and contributes to the song's overall atmospheric feel. The cadence of his lines often follows a sing-song, melodic pattern, making the lyrics flow smoothly over the percussive instrumental.

Rhyme Scheme:

The rhyme scheme is relatively straightforward, relying heavily on couplets (AABB) and frequent use of slant rhymes (words with similar but not identical sounds) which is common in rap. The chorus provides a clear example:

• I know my wrist be dancin' crazy (A)
• Been on some fly shit lately (A)
• Used to be so damn patient (B)
• But now it's "Fuck you, pay me" (C - slant rhyme with A)

In the verses, he employs both perfect rhymes and assonance to connect lines. For instance, in the first verse, "find me" rhymes with "body" and "pockets" rhymes with "rocket." The focus is less on complex, multi-syllabic rhymes and more on maintaining a consistent, hypnotic flow that complements the beat. This approach makes the lyrics easily digestible and memorable, ensuring the song's hook and message are the central focus.

"Patient" showcases several of the stylistic hallmarks that would come to define Post Malone's music.

Musical Techniques:

• Vocal Delivery: The song features his signature "laconic" and melodic vocal style, blurring the lines between rapping and singing. His delivery is relaxed yet carries a sense of assertive weariness. He employs a distinctive vibrato, which adds an emotive, slightly sorrowful quality to his voice, even when delivering boastful lines.
• Production: The beat, produced by Louis Bell, is rooted in trap music, characterized by heavy bass, crisp trap snares, and a woozy, atmospheric synth melody. This creates a hazy, introspective soundscape that contrasts with the lyrical bravado.
• Arrangement: The song's structure is built around a highly memorable and repetitive hook, a common feature in pop-rap. This makes the central message of his transformation from "patient" to "fuck you, pay me" inescapable and anthemic.

Literary Techniques:

• Juxtaposition: A key literary device is the juxtaposition of past and present selves. The line "Used to be so damn patient / But now it's 'Fuck you, pay me'" creates a stark contrast that serves as the song's thesis, highlighting his character's evolution due to his experiences.
• Hyperbole: Malone uses hyperbole to emphasize his wealth and status, with lines like "Two hundred K and VVS, yellow diamonds" and "One hundred bands on my body." These exaggerations are stylistic staples of the genre, used to paint a vivid picture of a lavish lifestyle.
• Allusion: The song contains allusions to pop culture, most notably to the TV series Narcos and its subject, Pablo Escobar, to metaphorically describe his social situation. He also makes a reference to the film Goodfellas with the classic line "Fuck you, pay me."

As a track on Post Malone's multi-platinum debut album Stoney, "Patient" contributed to the establishment of his signature sound and persona. While not released as a commercial single with the same push as hits like "White Iverson" or "Congratulations," the song was released as a promotional single and was certified platinum by the RIAA, indicating significant listener engagement.

The song is a key text in understanding Post Malone's early career narrative. It was one of the first tracks where he explicitly detailed his frustrations with the music industry, a theme he would revisit in later works. The central theme—the transformation from a naive artist to a guarded star demanding respect—resonated with many listeners and aspiring artists as a cautionary tale about the realities of fame.

Within his discography, "Patient" is an important marker of his artistic evolution. It helped solidify the blend of hip-hop, R&B, and pop with introspective, often melancholic lyrical themes that became his trademark. The album Stoney itself had a massive cultural impact, breaking the record for the most weeks in the top 10 of Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The success of the album, including popular deep cuts like "Patient," cemented Post Malone as a major force in mainstream music, capable of crafting hits that were both commercially successful and personally revealing.

"Patient" employs several symbols and metaphors to articulate its themes of fame, wealth, and distrust.

• "Wrist be dancin' crazy": This is a common metaphor in hip-hop for a wrist adorned with so many diamonds that it appears to sparkle and move, or "dance," under the light. It serves as a direct symbol of extreme wealth and success.
• Pablo Escobar Reference: When Malone says, "And Young Post be like Pablo / And they all love to blow, yeah," he's drawing a parallel between himself and the notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar. This isn't a celebration of Escobar's crimes but a metaphor for the immense power, isolation, and sudden influx of sycophantic followers that come with massive success. Just as Escobar was surrounded by people who wanted his money and power, Malone feels surrounded by fair-weather friends after his career "blew up."
• Firearms as a Symbol of Defense: The mention of sleeping "right next to the F&N" and his support for the Second Amendment symbolizes a deep-seated distrust and a need for self-protection. In the context of the song, this extends beyond physical threat to a metaphorical defense against a "tyrannical government" and, more broadly, the predatory forces within the music industry he feels are plotting against him.
• "Rollie, rollie, rollie / Bust it open, holy moly": The Rolex watch ("Rollie") is another potent symbol of luxury and achievement. To "bust it open" refers to flooding the watch with diamonds. This imagery reinforces his financial success but also acts as a triumphant symbol over those who tried to hinder him, specifically the people who delayed his album.

The most significant recurring element in "Patient" is the central lyrical motif of the chorus, which acts as the song's thesis statement: "Used to be so damn patient / But now it's 'Fuck you, pay me'." This phrase is repeated multiple times throughout the song, drilling home the core theme of the artist's transformation. Its recurrence signifies a definitive and irreversible shift in his mindset, from a passive newcomer to an assertive industry player who demands his due. The repetition functions as a personal mantra and a warning to others.

Another recurring phrase is "Don't mean to brag but can you blame me?" This line, which closes the hook each time, serves as a rhetorical device. It simultaneously acknowledges the boastful nature of the lyrics while justifying it as a natural reaction to his hard-won success and the challenges he's faced. It adds a layer of self-awareness, suggesting that his flaunting of wealth isn't just for show, but a form of validation.

Musically, the song is built on a recurring, looping melodic and harmonic progression from producer Louis Bell. This hypnotic, atmospheric instrumental motif provides a consistent backdrop for Malone's vocals, giving the track its signature woozy and introspective feel. The repetition of this musical idea makes the song instantly recognizable and contributes to its memorable, hook-driven structure.