[Verse 1]It's eight a.m. I roll out my silk sheetsGet fly crash the limo back seatsLookin' in the faces of some ladies that I never metOn the interview tip, no sweatThey ask me questions, I throw the words backThey say they write facts, I know that's bull crapThey're kickin' drama but then drama's my middle nameThat's the price ya pay for big fameThe cellular phone rings, don't wanta pick it upBut it's my J-O-B I gotta kick it upAnother damn reporter on the line with a word quizI gotta show cause I'm livin' in showbizOut the limo, to the plane, in the pourin' rainI hate flyin' but there's no time for slow trainsAnother show to do, I gotta catch my crewThey left last night in the bus around twoThe plane's a small one - No fun at allBouncin' round the air like a tennis ballWhen it touches down I wanna kiss the groundBut it's time to wreck a new townGet to the arena, meet up with the crewThey tell me all the speakers blewThe cordless don't work, sound man's a jerkSomebody's gonna get hurtI'm crazy mad but my fans want autographsI turn my angry frowns into fake laughsI can't be rude 'cause they wouldn't understandI ain't human no more, I'm a superman[Hook]You can tryBut you'll never understand thisYou can tryBut you'll never understand thisYou can tryBut you'll never understand thisThe lifestyles of the rich and infamous[Verse 2]Four hours 'til show time oh wellI might as well check in the hotelGet a little rest before it's time for us to playTen brothers standin' in the hallwayAll with demo tapes, they need the hook upThey heard that I was the one to look upI can't ditch 'em 'cause they already saw meI'll put my head down, maybe they'll ignore meNo chance - "Ice what's goin' on?"I listened to twenty-five songsAnd after that the brothers still wouldn't leaveThey started lookin' at my T.VI was gonna break down if they didn't jet soonSnuck across the hall and crashed in E's roomBut then this freak came in, thought I was EStraddled her legs across meRipped off her blouse, pushed her breast against my faceStarted gyrating her waistSounds fly, like a hype sex thriller?But see, she looked like GodzillaPushed her off me, homegirl hit the floorThis is what it's like on tourI hit the hallway it was crawlin' thick"Could weez take ya picture real quick?"Jumped into a pose that I used a million times beforeTook pictures with the whole damn floorI couldn't say no, not to my fansYou see, they wouldn't understand[Hook]You can tryBut you'll never understand thisYou can tryBut you'll never understand thisYou can tryBut you'll never understand thisThe lifestyles of the rich and infamous[Verse 3]Now it's show time, "time to flow" time"Evil lost the records but we still gotta go" timeThe house is packed, everybody's on their feetSo I say, "Throw on Rakim's beat."E hits the fader and the crowd is litI start bustin' off some new shitThe stage is so smoky that I almost fall offI start inhalin' it, I'm tryin' not to coughI'm catchin' problems from every angleThe mic cords are tangledI try to flow smooth but my words are mangledDamn near slipped and broke my ankleIf that ain't enough the police are hawkin'Listenin' real close to the words I'm talkin'They wanna put a brother like me in the back seatJust because I curse the beatThey wanna tap my phone, wanna keep my crib buggedCall all my homies felons and street thugsYou might say i think this lifestyle sucks?I wouldn't trade it for a million bucksAlthough it's all not glamour and gleamIt's still my dream[Hook]You can tryBut you'll never understand thisYou can tryBut you'll never understand thisYou can tryBut you'll never understand thisThe lifestyles of the rich and infamous
