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
dot 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´ with the show
biz. out the llimo, to the plane
in the pourin´ rain
i hate flyin´
but there´s no time for slow trains
another show to do
i gotta caatch 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 in´t human no more, i´m a superman

chorus
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 a and infamous

four hours till show time oh well
i might as well check in the hotel
get a little rest
before it´s time 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 thaat
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 girating her waist. sounds fly,
like a hype sex thriller?
but see she looked like godzilla
pushed her off me
home girl hit the floor
this is what it´s like on tour
i hit the hallway it was crawlin´ thick
"could we take this 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

chorus

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 smokey
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 homes
felonist street thugs
you might say
i think this lifestyle sucks?
i wouldn´t tade it for a million bucks
although it´s all
not glamour and gleam
it´s still my dream

chorus