On the Come Up

Bri Jackson wants to be a rapper. She wants to be famous, make money, and escape Garden Heights. Mostly, she wants to support her family – her unemployed mother and her brother, who is putting off graduate school to work. At sixteen, Bri feels helpless. However, when she enters a rap battle at The Ring, she figures this might be her one shot. When her battle goes semi-viral, Bri is suddenly torn between her mother’s expectations, attending school and earning good grades, and her community, which wants her to continue rapping. Bri records her first song, which details the assumptions people make about her, but many people interpret it as a black girl being “ratchet” or “ghetto.”  Bri is once again divided between multiple aspects of her identity. She must figure out how to balance rapping with staying true to herself.  

On the Come Up is an ode to hip-hop as much as it is a coming-of-age story. Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time, hoping to fill the massive shoes of her father, an underground hip hop legend who died right before he hit big. But Bri’s path to success is anything but straightforward. 

Bri’s life hasn’t been easy. Her father was murdered when she was young, and her mother fell into drugs afterward, leaving her grandparents to raise her. Even though she’s been living with her mom for eight years now, she can’t accept that this stability is permanent—she feels like it could all disappear at any moment. When her mom loses her job and an eviction notice threatens their home, Bri pours her anger and frustration into her first song, which goes viral for all the wrong reasons. Simultaneously, she has to navigate microaggressions at her private school, where she’s labeled with an “aggressive” reputation, while also dealing with typical teenage problems like fights with friends, crushes, and a potential new boyfriend. Her mother fights to have Bri allowed to live as just a teenager, without the burden of financial worries, but Bri struggles to handle everything on her own. 

Bri soon finds herself at the center of controversy, portrayed by the media as more menace than MC, as the story tackles systemic racism, poverty, police brutality, and the realities facing many Black youths in America. Thomas doesn’t shy away from exploring how economic uncertainty and viral fame complicate Bri’s journey, creating additional pressure as various people try to exploit her dreams for their own advantage. 

Bri is an assertive narrator with a strong sense of right and wrong. Even as she struggles with her identity, she knows what she wants her life to look like—she wants better for her community and her family. While she can sometimes be self-centered, she’s ultimately a good friend who cares deeply about those around her. Her friends Sonny and Malik provide interesting contrasts and tensions, calling Bri out when needed but standing with her when it matters most. Her mother and brother make sacrifices that show Bri what love looks like, even when she’s too overwhelmed to fully embrace it. 

Set in the same fictional Garden Heights as Thomas’s debut novel The Hate U Give, On the Come Up tells a grittier tale that highlights the narrow path many face as they try to climb out of poverty. Thomas weaves together themes of violence, identity, and family with careful attention to the characters and community of Garden Heights. 

While the ending is slightly rushed, the majority of the book unfolds with a pace that feels as carefully planned as one of Bri’s rap verses. Ultimately, while Bri has countless people standing behind her, she must decide who she wants to be—an important lesson for young readers figuring out their own values.  

Sexual Content  

• Bri has a crush on her friend Malik. She thinks about how he makes her feel: “Like the way my heart speeds up every time he says ‘Breezy’. . . Like he wants the name to only belong to him. All these feelings started when we were ten.”  
• Bri’s friend Sonny is gay, and Bri remembers when he came out. “Sonny turned to me and blurted out, ‘I think I only like boys.’”  
• Malik grabs Bri’s arm, and she thinks about him touching her. “The way he’s holding my arm, running his thumb along my skin. Every single part of me is aware that he’s touching me.”  
• Bri flirts with Curtis, a boy from church. “Is this flirting? I think this is flirting. Wait. I’m flirting with Curtis? And I’m okay with the fact that I’m flirting with Curtis?” 
• Sonny used to have a crush on Bri’s older brother, Trey. “​​There was a time he could only stutter around my brother, that’s how big of a crush he had. Sometimes I think he’s still got a crush on Trey.” 
• Bri and Malik kiss at Malik’s house. “When he inches his lips toward mine, I don’t move away. I simply close my eyes and wait for the fireworks. . . But, um, this kiss? This kiss ain’t none of that. It’s wet, awkward, and tastes like all those Cheetos Puffs Malik ate a little while ago.” Bri leaves afterward.  
• Bri and Curtis kiss at Curtis’ house. “When he moves closer, I don’t move away. I can’t think; I can’t breathe. I can only kiss him back. Every single inch of me is aware of him, of the way his fingertips graze the back of my neck, the way his tongue perfectly tangles with mine.” They are making out, and he touches her chest. “He kisses me again, and slowly, his hand travels under my sweatshirt and under my bra. He grazes a spot that makes me stop kissing him long enough to make a sound I’ve never made before. I feel it in more places than my chest.” The scene ends with them kissing.  
• Bri and Curtis kiss in Bri’s bedroom. “One kiss becomes two, two becomes three, and three becomes making out on the floor of my Tweety shrine of a bedroom.” They are interrupted by Bri’s brother and mom.  

Violence  

• Bri thinks about the questions the school counselor asks her. These questions include references to her father’s murder. “Have you witnessed any traumatic events lately, such as shootings? . . . Are you struggling to come to terms with your father’s murder?”  
• In Bri’s town, a young boy was killed by the police. It is referenced many times and is a contributing factor to much of the story’s tensions. “See, last year a kid was murdered by a cop just a few streets away from my grandparents’ house. He was unarmed, but the grand jury decided not to charge the officer.” 
• There are many references to guns and murder in Bri’s rap verses. “This is no longer a battle, it’s your funeral, boo. I’m murdering you. . . This Glock, yeah, I cock it and aim it. That’s what you expect, bitch, ain’t it?” 
• While going through security at school, Bri is tackled by a security guard and held down because they think she has drugs in her backpack. “Before I know it, my chest hits the ground first, then my face is pressed against the cold floor. [The guard’s] knee goes onto my back as [another guard] removes my backpack.” The security guards put plastic cuffs on Bri and take her to the office. Bri is scared of getting shot like the kid who was killed by the police.  
• A riot starts at Bri’s school after Long and Tate, the security guards who hurt Bri, are allowed to continue working. “A fist connects with Long’s jaw. The bullhorn flies from his hand. Suddenly, it’s as if that punch was the green light some students were waiting for. A cluster of boys charge Long and Tate, taking them to the ground. Curtis is one of them. Fists fly and feet kick.” The cops arrive and break it up. The security guards are taken away in ambulances.  
• Gang members robbed Bri and Malik. One gang member, called The Crown, punches Malik and threatens Bri with a gun. “The Crown rams his fist into Malik’s face. Malik hits the ground. ‘Malik!’ I start for him. Click click. The gun cocks.” The gang member leaves after Bri gives him her necklace. Malik’s eye is bruised, but they are otherwise unharmed.  
• Bri goes to her aunt and unintentionally asks her to kill the gang member who robbed her. She regrets it later and fears for her aunt and the gang member’s safety. “I wanted that guy dead, I swear I did. Now all I can think about is how a gunshot’s gonna take him like one took Dad.” Bri’s aunt doesn’t kill anyone.  
• Bri’s aunt is arrested in a police raid. “SWAT team members knock down apartment doors, and Garden Disciples rush outside or get dragged out with guns pointed in their faces. A few brave ones make runs for it. Aunt Pooh lies flat on the courtyard, her hands cuffed behind her back. A cop pats her down.”  

Drugs and Alcohol  

• Bri’s mother, Jay, is a drug addict. She has been clean for eight years. “Jay really did leave me and Trey at our grandparents’ house. She couldn’t take care of us and her drug habit, too.” 
• Bri mentions that her aunt stopped smoking weed.  
• Bri’s aunt is a drug dealer. “‘Business’ has been her code word for drug dealing since I was seven years old and asked her how she made enough money to buy expensive sneakers.” 
• Bri gets in trouble for selling candy at school, but a rumor starts that she was dealing drugs. “Some idiot coughs to cover the ‘drug dealer,’ he says as I pass.” 
• When Bri’s aunt is arrested, they find cocaine on her. “The officer pulls a baggie from Aunt Pooh’s back pocket.” 

Language  

• Profanity is often used. Profanity includes: shit, damn, hell, fucked, ass, goddamn, and bitch. 

Supernatural  

• None 

Spiritual Content  

• Bri and her family go to church. “Not that Jay doesn’t love the Lord, but she gets extra-Christian when we’re in church.” 

by Abigail Clark