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Chapter 17
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
The newscaster says that the song encouraged students to behave violently toward Long and Tate. Bri is flabbergasted. Jay turns off the TV and asks if the song is Bri's. Bri admits it is, and Jay starts yelling for Bri to show her the guns she rapped about. Bri tries to explain herself, but Jay accuses Bri of "rapping like a thug." Jay says that Bri kept the song a secret because she knew she shouldn't be saying the kinds of things she did, and she says that people will use this to jump to conclusions, no matter what Bri's intent was. Bri asks if this is why people keep asking Jay if she's on drugs.
Asking Jay if people think she's on drugs because she has a history is a low blow on Bri's part, but for Bri, Jay's attack feels just as unfair. However, Jay also knows more and better what people will think of Bri's song and the danger that it might put Bri in, both in terms of jeopardizing a future at college and because of the gang affiliated lines, which could cause problems at home.
Themes
This silences Jay for a moment. She concedes that people will always assume things, but says she's not giving people reasons to assume she's on drugs since she doesn't talk or brag about drugs. Bri makes one more attempt to tell Jay that the song is about playing into stereotypes and assumptions, but Jay shouts that they never get the luxury of playing at any of this. She forbids Bri from rapping anymore and points out that Lawless died because he played the "rapping gangsta" part.
Jay's insistence that "they"—black people more broadly—don't get to pretend and play around with stereotypes tells the reader that Bri is messing with something much bigger than she is, and something that's far beyond her control. Bringing up Lawless shows Bri that acting as though she can ignore it is a dangerous proposition.
Themes
When Supreme texts Bri later and asks to meet, Bri agrees. They meet at the Fish Hut the next morning. As Bri pedals, she notices that the street where the Fish Hut is located looks like a warzone after the riots. In Aunt Pooh's opinion, the Fish Hut is only standing because Mr. Barry put a "black owned" sign on the door during the riots. Bri thinks she hasn't heard from Pooh in days.
Bri's train of thought shows that she feels as though she's drowning in things she has no control over. Pooh is childishly ignoring her, and Bri is in a position where, simply by living in Garden Heights, she has to answer for the damage of the riots every day—all things that make Bri feel smaller and less in control.
Themes
Bri takes her bike inside, which Mr. Barry allows because Bri is Lawless's daughter. She takes a seat with Supreme. Supreme congratulates Bri on "On the Come Up" rising to number one on Dat Cloud and gives her a gift. Bri is shocked to unwrap a box of brand-new Timbs. She thinks of how she's been working for months to buy a pair, but she has to refuse this—Granddaddy always told her that big gifts for no reason usually come with strings attached. She says they're too expensive, which makes Supreme laugh and say he spends more on sunglasses. Bri feels like she must look stupid for thinking that $150 is a lot of money. Supreme assures her it's okay, and Bri agrees to keep them after noticing that the soles on her own shoes are coming off.
It's telling that in situations like this, Bri almost always flashes on something that Granddaddy tells her. This suggests that even though Bri spends time with her grandparents just to keep the peace, Granddaddy is enough of a trusted mentor figure to factor prominently in Bri's conscience. At this point, these new Timbs make it clear to Bri that she's not making it. She wasn't able to do the work herself to buy them, and it feels questionable that Supreme is giving them to her and inadvertently making her feel bad by doing so.
Themes
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Supreme compliments Bri on what happened at Midtown. Confused, Bri points out that people aren't saying nice things about her, but Supreme says that all publicity is good. Bri explains that the rally started because of something that happened to her. Supreme says that Bri is in good company—lots of hip-hop songs and artists have been blamed for violence. He adds that Bri needs a "real manager" who can spin things to work in her favor.
Supreme's insistence that all publicity is good is questionable. While it may be true if a person doesn't care about constructing a particular reputation for themselves, insisting that an event like this is good for Bri suggests that he doesn’t care about her personally, but only about her profitability.
Themes
Dee-Nice enters and joins Bri and Supreme. Bri is star struck, especially when Dee-Nice compliments her. She starts talking about a rap battle from years ago and suddenly realizes that all of this is a setup to lure her away from Aunt Pooh. Bri thinks that she knew this was going to happen and wonders if she's a horrible niece. Supreme says that he'd be able to do great things for Bri, just like he's done for Miles and Dee-Nice, and Dee-Nice tells Bri that he's able to care for his whole family. Swallowing, Bri asks Supreme if he can promise her that her family will be okay. They shake on it, and Supreme howls that they're going to make money. He says he needs to speak to Jay, but Bri insists on waiting. Supreme agrees.
In particular, what Dee-Nice says about being able to take care of his family with his record deal shows that Supreme is using Bri's poverty to his advantage. He knows full well that Jay wouldn't be thrilled about this and that Bri isn't convinced that this is the kind of image she wants for herself. Instead, Supreme is thinking about himself and sees Bri as an object to be used. By agreeing to work with him, Bri unwittingly agrees to this and in doing so, loses control over her fame and her reputation.
Themes
