I think I finally found the perfect way to explain exactly why Sonic, Tails & Knuckles have such a great dynamic with eachother and work so incredibly as a trio, I've been trying to properly put it into words for years but now I finally figured it out!
yes he is a black man who would be using ebonics/aave which stupid people think came to fruition less than a decade ago BUT THAT'S NOT THE APPLICATION HERE AM I GOING INSANE
i feel like i'm going crazy. he's not even saying "i ate that up" as in he did good. he's saying it as in he absorbed what he observed. he ate up what he was literally given to see and learn and then goes on to talk about how it influenced his love for all kinds of music