>This one old black dude that works with my dad says this all
>the time and from considering different contexts in which he
>has said it and thinking on my own, I got a number of
>different interpretations of it.
>
>Run with it, I wanna hear what you all think on first
>impression, then add to it as the thread moves along...

By listening to mainstream (C)rap and "hip hop," you can definitely sense that these "artists" are preaching (European-invented) capitalism, and thus, materialism, to young children of color. Sure, it's nice to have things, but to have things is not the most important thing in life. Just my interp.