Tracy Chapman was, in my estimation, writing about people she knew. I had a client once whose fiancee could have written that song. She was trying to hold a job and raise their three children. He was spending more money than they had on crack, and if that weren't bad enough his entire family was like an anchor trying to pull him down. I have a great deal of respect for people like Terry McMillan (including, of course, those who don't achieve fame) who get their own fast cars, escape their own deadweight families, and "break the cycle".