This chain that I bought
You mix greed, pain and fame, this is heinous result
J. Cole uses the chain as a symbolic representation of the materialistic perspective most in the game have. Acquiring riches and spending it on items that others would see to ascertain your status is an ultimate end game in society, to be above the “common” people. He’s saying it all stems from greed, pain, and fame. He concludes this is heinous.
The use of the word pain could be specifically talking about what a person would do to get this chain when they are living in poverty or what certain people who are exploited into making them or getting the pieces that make the chain go through.
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