<< Do these guys just assume this is the way it is? Does it have to be this way? Why? Lack of jobs? Education? Motivation? Other? >>
I'll use Tupac's life as an example here, when he was younger his mom turned into a crack addict and it ruined his life essentially. It's truly traumatizing, so basically there was no support from his mother in his life, and more importantly - no positive influence. That's what Dear Mama was all about - it was all saying how he forgave her for what she did, and asking forgiveness for what he put her through as well.
Another Rags-to-ritches story would be about Bone Thugs, all 5 of them were homeless for some time, and they barely had enough money to scrounge up a one way ticket to LA just for an audition, they didn't know if they had a deal or not, so they took a chance and took a bus out there, and they got hired. Wonder what woulda happened to them if they didn't get the deal from the audition...
But the thing is, this is so common in hip hop/rap, and now they're rich. Its the new American dream, to come up from the slums all the way to owning a mansion and 5 cars, being financially stable.