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Symbols
Bri's song, "On the Come Up," is representative of a variety of things over the course of the novel. It first emerges as a symbol for Bri's youth and her need for mentorship and specifically, her need for Aunt Pooh to be there for her. Bri angrily admits to the reader after recording her song that she wouldn't have said what she said had Pooh been there, which suggests Bri sees her song as a symbol of her sense of abandonment. In contrast, Pooh and other adults, including Trey, see the lyrics and subject matter as proof that Bri has no real-world experience and, in her immaturity, is willing to say anything to attract attention and get famous.
The lyrics themselves speak to the ways that Bri—and, the novel suggests, people of color in America more broadly—feels pushed down and invalidated by society. However, even this interpretation isn't entirely straightforward: as true and meaningful as Bri's lyrics might be for her and for the black residents of Garden Heights, white people in the Midtown neighborhood see the song as the reason for the racially charged events happening at Midtown, not a response to them. In this way, the song more broadly comes to represent the ways that black culture—and the black people creating that culture—are vilified.
Bri’s Song, "On the Come Up" Quotes in On the Come Up
The On the Come Up quotes below all refer to the symbol of Bri’s Song, "On the Come Up". For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 12
Quotes
I almost roll my eyes. How would these people feel if they knew Milez was here to see how messed up we are to remind him how good he's got it? He's gonna go to his nice house in the suburbs and forget this in a week, tops, while we're still struggling.
My situation shouldn't be his after-school special.
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Chapter 14
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There I am, on the front page of Blackout. They posted a picture from when I was in the Ring. The headline? "Teen Daughter of Murdered Underground Rap Legend Lawless Just Killed Us Her Damn Self with This New Heat!"
Side note: Do I have a name or nah? It's short enough that it could've fit, too.
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"What's wrong with what you say?"
"I talk about guns and stuff, Curtis. He doesn't want people to think that's me."
"They're gonna think it anyway. If you can get something from this, forget the nonsense and go for it."
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Chapter 15
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"You know who the biggest consumers of hip-hop are?"
"White kids in the suburbs," Miles answers dryly, as if he's heard this before.
"Exactly! White kids in the suburbs," Supreme says. "You know what white kids in the suburbs love? Listening to shit that scares their parents. You scare the hell outta their folks, they'll flock to you like birds. The videos from tonight? Gonna scare the hell outta them. Watch your numbers shoot up."
It actually makes sense that white kids in the suburbs will love the videos. But Long and Tate called me a "hoodlum," and I can't seem to shake that word.
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Chapter 16
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"But," he says, in a way that tells me to wipe the smile off my face, "although I get the song, now people are gonna take your words at face value. And let's be real: You're clueless about half the shit you rapped about. Clips on your hips?" Trey twists his mouth. "You know damn well you don't know what a clip is, Bri."
"Yes I do!" It's the thingy that goes on the thingy on a gun.
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Chapter 18
Quotes
She's still not listening to me. "If you would just listen to the song—it's not what they made it out to be, I swear. It's about playing into their assumptions about me."
"You don't get that luxury, Brianna! We don't! They never think we're just playing!"
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But it's like how when she does stuff I don't like and says it's "for my own good." This is for hers. I'm willing to do anything to keep that sadness in her eyes from becoming permanent.
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Chapter 19
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"That's right, fuck censorship," I say, to three hundred viewers. "They don't get it because it ain't for them to get. Besides, if I am strapped like backpacks, maybe it's 'cause I gotta be, bitch. Ain't my fault if it makes you uncomfortable. I'm uncomfortable every goddamn day of my life."
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Chapter 25
Quotes
"Me and my twin know all the words to your song!" this snaggle-toothed girl pipes up.
I scribble my name for her. "Oh, for real?"
"'Strapped like backpacks, I pull triggers,'" she and her sister squeak. "'All the clips on my hips change my figure.'"
I stop writing.
How old are they? Six? Seven?
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Chapter 27
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It's like having a bucket of ice water thrown into my face.
Ratchet hood rat.
Thousands of people just heard me act like that. Millions more may see the video. They won't care that my life is a mess and I had every right to be mad. They'll just see an angry black girl from the ghetto, acting like they expected me to act.
Supreme laughs to himself. "You played the role," he says. "Goddamn, you played the role."
Problem is, I wasn't playing. That's what I've become.
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Get the entire On the Come Up LitChart as a printable PDF.
Bri’s Song, "On the Come Up" Symbol Timeline in On the Come Up
The timeline below shows where the symbol Bri’s Song, "On the Come Up" appears in On the Come Up. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 10
Sonny asks Bri if she ended up recording her song, and he asks to listen to it. Bri hesitates, as she knows she's a different...
(full context)
...Sonny away. They meet up with Malik at Malik's locker, where Sonny says that Bri's song is awesome. Malik smiles at Bri, making her melt inside. She agrees that he can...
(full context)
Chapter 11
...booth—technically around Shana's shoulders. Bri ignores this and refuses to let Malik listen to her song, even when he recites some of his favorite parts of Bri's other raps back to...
(full context)
...Bri doesn't find this funny at all. She pulls out her phone and plays her song. Malik looks troubled throughout, but praises Bri. When Bri pushes, he says that she hasn't...
(full context)
Chapter 12
...more—he's Dee-Nice's manager, and Dee-Nice did more. He says she needs to get the right song out there. He gives Bri a business card and then starts to walk away. Bri...
(full context)
Supreme listens with no emotion, but when the song is over, he says it's a hit. He tells Bri to put it online and...
(full context)
Jay asks what Bri and Supreme were talking about. Bri doesn't mention the song, but says that Supreme said she has "It" and could be a star. Jay says...
(full context)
Chapter 13
...off Bri's anger that Pooh abandoned her at the studio and asks to hear the song. Bri sighs and tosses Pooh her phone.
(full context)
Aunt Pooh plugs in earbuds and dances to the song until suddenly, she stops. She angrily pulls out the earbuds and quietly says that Bri...
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After a moment of silence, Pooh hisses in Bri's face to delete the song and says they'll make a new one. Thinking of Supreme, Bri asks how Pooh is...
(full context)
Chapter 14
...she decides to ignore this. She sees that the embedded Dat Cloud link for her song shows twenty thousand streams. She starts shouting in surprise, attracting attention from her classmates and...
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Chapter 15
...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...
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...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...
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...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...
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Chapter 16
...and tells him he'll get to go soon. He asks if that's because of Bri's song, and says he knows about the Ring—Kayla texted him links immediately after it happened. He...
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...this isn't the way to do it. He also says that he's listened to Bri's song. He admits that there are some good lines, but people aren't going to look deeply...
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Chapter 17
...volume as the newscaster gives a basic rundown of what happened. She then mentions Bri's song and plays bits and pieces—but only the most violent parts. Jay incredulously drops a loaf...
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Chapter 18
The newscaster says that the song encouraged students to behave violently toward Long and Tate. Bri is flabbergasted. Jay turns off...
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...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...
(full context)
...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...
(full context)
Chapter 19
...chest aches, but Jay tells her it's temporary. Jay mentions that she listened to Bri's song and she gets it, which makes Bri feel warm and happy. Bri admits that she...
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...for "On the Come Up" to be taken off of Dat Cloud, and saying the song led to violence. The author, Emily Taylor, takes offense to the "antipolice sentiment." Taylor embedded...
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...she has 100 people watching and commenting. When someone comments "fuck censorship," Bri says her song isn't for white people and she's not sorry for making them uncomfortable, since she's uncomfortable...
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Chapter 20
...be willing to release the video on her terms. He suggests that they use Bri's song, which talks about what Long and Tate did, to show people what happened in music...
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Chapter 21
...chain and paid bills by now. The Crown talks about the "disrespectful shit" on Bri's song and points the gun at her face. She stares into his eyes and gives him...
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Chapter 24
...dealers at school, and says that she supports the petition to get Bri's "vulgar, violent" song taken offline, since it incites violence.
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Chapter 27
...Lawless's daughter. He asks Bri what she has to say about the controversy surrounding her song and asks if her violent lyrics incited the riot at Midtown. Bri asks about all...
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