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Chapter 14
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in On the Come Up, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Identity and Individuality
Racism and Prejudice
Trauma, Poverty, and Childhood
Control, Image, and Fame
Summary
Analysis
Two weeks later, Bri walks out to Aunt Pooh's car to go to another battle in the Ring. She doesn't think that Jay or Trey have heard her song, though it’s becoming increasingly popular on the internet. Scrap lets Bri into the backseat while reciting some of Bri's lyrics. Pooh doesn't look at Bri; they haven't spoken since Bri told her about Blackout posting her song. Bri wonders if Pooh's anger matters if they get famous.
Bri's sense that her family members don't know about her song suggests that Bri is trying to build up a sense of safety and security around it. She knows that neither of them will like the song, which suggests that Bri is also aware and has thought about the criticisms from Pooh and Malik.
Themes
Scrap notices Bri's chain, but Pooh nastily reminds Bri that she shouldn't be wearing it. Bri assures Pooh that security will be tight and they'll be fine. In the parking lot, Bri hears cars blasting her song and lots of people call out to her. They skip the line and head for the door as usual, but a Crown member shouts at them to get in line. When the Crown and his friends catch sight of the chain, their eyes light up and they ask if Bri is Lawless's daughter. They know that "On the Come Up" is Bri's song. The Crown asks about the lyrics and threatens Bri. Both the Crown and Pooh reach for their guns, but Frank and Reggie push them apart and tell Bri she can't come in—they don't allow gang activity on the property.
Bri's sense of security at the Ring suggests that she trusts her community at large to look out for her, even if Pooh or Jay might not. This gets turned upside down when the Crowns harass Bri and Pooh. Their appearance in the flesh makes it very apparent to Bri that there's danger involved in messing with the gangs, and it makes Lawless's death even more real for her—these are the people who killed him. This begins to show Bri that her fame may not be all it's cracked up to be.
Themes
The Crown and his crew leave, but Bri asks Frank and Reggie to let her in. They refuse, and Bri's temper gets the better of her. Someone starts playing "On the Come Up." Bri and the crowd perform a call-and-response with Bri's lyrics and people congratulate her. Pooh glares at Bri and strides to the parking lot. She spits that Bri shouldn't have released the song, but Bri points out that Pooh was the one who started to draw her gun on the Crowns. Bri doesn't understand why this is her fault when everyone clearly loves the song and the Crowns are just jealous. She refuses to get in the car with Pooh, and Pooh drives off.
It's interesting that despite Bri's very real fear of the Crowns when they were in front of her, she's still willing to say that they're just jealous and minimize the situation like this. This shows that Bri doesn't fully grasp the gravity of the situation. Pooh likely does, which is why she's so tense and upset—though it should be noted that Pooh is failing miserably as a guardian by leaving Bri here when the Crowns are out to get her.
Themes
Supreme approaches Bri and offers her a ride. He opens the passenger door of his Hummer, snaps his fingers at Milez, and tells him to get in the back. Milez moves back and then, at Supreme's prodding, introduces himself as Miles without the "z" and apologizes for what he said about Lawless during their battle. Bri is shocked that Miles sounds straight out of the suburbs, and she forgives him. They discuss their shared love of female rappers like Nicki Minaj and Cardi B until Supreme says, "boy," and then Miles turns his attention to his phone.
This short conversation with Miles allows Bri to see that he might, like Curtis, be another person who's actually worth getting to know—they have a lot in common, and he doesn't seem like a jerk in person. The way that Miles reacts to his dad's warning suggests that Supreme isn't one to mess with, which should serve as a warning to Bri. It also implies that Supreme doesn’t approve of Miles favoring female rappers—he has a very specific idea of the kind of hyper-masculine man he wants his son to be.
Themes
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Supreme asks Bri what happened with Pooh, and compliments Bri for how she worked the crowd. He says that the publicity will be great since everyone filmed the standoff, and says she'll look like a "ghetto rapper." Bri says she was just standing up for herself, and Supreme replies that it's important she play the role—it's what will make her money. He says that the biggest hip-hop consumers are “white kids in the suburbs,” and if Bri can scare those kids' parents, she'll go viral. Bri can sort of see the logic in this, but she says that's not who she is.
Finally, Supreme lays out his business model: poverty and the "ghetto" life are exotic, scary, and therefore, sell really well to young white people. If a person can embody that stereotype and get evidence of that online, even if it's not who they are, there's a potential to make money. In his world, the surface meaning of Bri's song is the most important one, as it plays into the stereotypes and will therefore be a hit.
Themes
Supreme says that it doesn't matter who Bri is as long as she's getting paid. He says that someone should be booking shows and getting Bri on other people's songs. When he learns that Pooh isn't doing that, he asks if she's the best choice to manage Bri. He asks if Pooh is a Garden Disciple, and says that the gangs are a major distraction. He tells Bri to not let Pooh drag her down if she's a lost cause. Bri thinks this is wrong: once Bri makes it big, Pooh will give up the gang life.
Again, Bri has no evidence that Pooh will give up dealing or the Garden Disciples, especially since Pooh walked out on Bri while she was recording. Bri's insistence that Pooh will get out of this world shows how optimistic Bri is and how badly she wants to escape poverty and the lifestyle that Pooh has to lead to make ends meet.
Themes
