[Verse 1]
It's eight a.m. I roll out my silk sheets
Get fly crash the limo back seats
Lookin' in the faces of some ladies that I never met
On the interview tip, no sweat
They ask me questions, I throw the words back
They say they write facts, I know that's bull crap
They're kickin' drama but then drama's my middle name
That's the price ya pay for big fame
The cellular phone rings, don't wanta pick it up
But it's my J-O-B I gotta kick it up
Another damn reporter on the line with a word quiz
I gotta show cause I'm livin' in showbiz
Out the limo, to the plane, in the pourin' rain
I hate flyin' but there's no time for slow trains
Another show to do, I gotta catch my crew
They left last night in the bus around two
The plane's a small one - No fun at all
Bouncin' round the air like a tennis ball
When it touches down I wanna kiss the ground
But it's time to wreck a new town
Get to the arena, meet up with the crew
They tell me all the speakers blew
The cordless don't work, sound man's a jerk
Somebody's gonna get hurt
I'm crazy mad but my fans want autographs
I turn my angry frowns into fake laughs
I can't be rude 'cause they wouldn't understand
I ain't human no more, I'm a superman
[Hook]
You can try
But you'll never understand this
You can try
But you'll never understand this
You can try
But you'll never understand this
The lifestyles of the rich and infamous

[Verse 2]
Four hours 'til show time oh well
I might as well check in the hotel
Get a little rest before it's time for us to play
Ten brothers standin' in the hallway
All with demo tapes, they need the hook up
They heard that I was the one to look up
I can't ditch 'em 'cause they already saw me
I'll put my head down, maybe they'll ignore me
No chance - "Ice what's goin' on?"
I listened to twenty-five songs
And after that the brothers still wouldn't leave
They started lookin' at my T.V
I was gonna break down if they didn't jet soon
Snuck across the hall and crashed in E's room
But then this freak came in, thought I was E
Straddled her legs across me
Ripped off her blouse, pushed her breast against my face
Started gyrating her waist
Sounds fly, like a hype sex thriller?
But see, she looked like Godzilla
Pushed her off me, homegirl hit the floor
This is what it's like on tour
I hit the hallway it was crawlin' thick
"Could weez take ya picture real quick?"
Jumped into a pose that I used a million times before
Took pictures with the whole damn floor
I couldn't say no, not to my fans
You see, they wouldn't understand
[Hook]
You can try
But you'll never understand this
You can try
But you'll never understand this
You can try
But you'll never understand this
The 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" time
The house is packed, everybody's on their feet
So I say, "Throw on Rakim's beat."
E hits the fader and the crowd is lit
I start bustin' off some new shit
The stage is so smoky that I almost fall off
I start inhalin' it, I'm tryin' not to cough
I'm catchin' problems from every angle
The mic cords are tangled
I try to flow smooth but my words are mangled
Damn near slipped and broke my ankle
If 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 seat
Just because I curse the beat
They wanna tap my phone, wanna keep my crib bugged
Call all my homies felons and street thugs
You might say i think this lifestyle sucks?
I wouldn't trade it for a million bucks
Although it's all not glamour and gleam
It's still my dream
[Hook]
You can try
But you'll never understand this
You can try
But you'll never understand this
You can try
But you'll never understand this
The lifestyles of the rich and infamous