rice and peas

i've recently noticed references to rice and peas in several hiphop songs:

4000 miles by blackalicious

"instrumentals blendin' like cinnamon, rice and peas"

hey mama by black eyed peas

"finga' lickin' like rice and peas and chicken stuffing"

no roots by faithless

"i'll fill you up like rice and peas"

is there some kind of afro-american cultural significance, or are they just delish?

"rapper's delight" mentions peas, but not rice

"the macaroni's soggy, the peas are mushed, and the chicken tastes like wood"