He sang about troubles and hardship that he could understand. It made his lyrics relatable to the music audience. Similarly, kids in Southern California, or really any community have varied means. Some of them, like him, have very little. That can either be used to inspire them or it can break them.
Yes their are some other important tools like blending stump, or a certain pencil kit or like a earaser. Some other jobs that requir tools are like a engineer or a mechanic.They require lots of tools like a rench or a crestit rench:)