Hit a lick is like saying putting in work. Its not ebonics guys, its more country if anything. If a person is lazy you might say "he wouldnt hit a lick at a snake" meaning they are so lazy they wouldnt work to get away from being bit.
When i used to work for my dad if we jad a whole bunch to do or really needed to make money he would say "boy we really need to hit a lick this week."
See where im going with this? I imagine of this is true he was involved in a robbery of some sort or caught selling drugs or something.