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Jerid Wilmoth

Mrs. Cramer

Comp 1 Pd 7

4 December 2020

Brianna’s Come Up

On the Come Up is a fiction novel that tells the story of a sixteen-year-old girl, Brianna,

and the journey of her dreams of becoming one of the greatest rappers of all time. Brianna, also

known as Bri, lives with only her mother in a struggling and troublesome neighborhood. Bri’s

mother works two jobs trying to support their family, since Bri’s father passed away after being

murdered by a rival gang. Bri has had other family members such as her brother, aunt, and

grandma influence her growth and determination of becoming a rapper. Despite the troubling and

even traumatic experiences Bri has been forced to witness by her family members, she turns her

frustration, feelings, and struggles into song lyrics.

Brianna’s father passed away eight years ago very suddenly after he got caught up in a

shooting by a rival gang. Bri’s father was an underground hip hop legend who was just about to

make it big before he died. This is one of Bri’s biggest motivators as she not only immensely

misses her father, but the sense of knowing she has big shoes to fill to be a rapper like her dad

was. Bri’s father acted as a symbol of hope for the community, and this weight is now on Bri’s

shoulders. Bri shows her community that there is a way out, and if she can do it, so can they.

However, after the community keeps comparing Bri’s reputation to her fathers and not allowing

her to create her own name or identity, Bri explains, “He didn’t teach me to rap, I taught myself”

(Thomas 30).
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Brianna’s mother, Jay, loves and supports Bri as much as she can, but has often failed.

Bri is constantly worried and feels responsible for her mother due to the fact she has had a

serious drug addiction most of her life. Although Jay has been clean from crack cocaine for

almost a decade, Bri feels the pressure of taking care of her mother to prevent a relapse of drugs

knowing the difficult nature of addiction. Jay worked as a secretary at Christ Temple Church and

attended night school to gain her degree in social work to give other addicts the help that she

could not get. Although Jay does not want Trey, her son, or Bri to get a job and be faced with the

realities of life, losing her job puts stress on the family on trying to pay bills and put food on the

table, leaving both Trey and Bri trying to help out their mother.

Bri’s Aunt Pooh was not only looked at as just an aunt but as a friend or older sister to

Bri. Aunt Pooh agrees to be Bri’s manager but leaves her hanging in the dark or feeling alone

most of the time. Although Bri gains a lot of support from her aunt, she will always be uneasy

about the fact that Aunt Pooh is in a gang and is a cocaine dealer even after Jay has struggled

with cocaine addiction. After Jay loses her job Aunt Pooh is the only one making enough money

to help pay bills and put food on the table. Trey exclaims, “Pooh and her drug-dealing money,

saving the day” (Thomas 218). Aunt Pooh later goes to jail after being caught dealing these

drugs and Jay believes she is in this situation because she does not know who she is and her own

worth.

Bri has been rapping since she was old enough to hold objects as a microphone and has

not lost sight of her dreams even through all the hardships. Bri is looked as a hoodlum because of

her family, specifically Aunt Pooh and her mother Jay, and her work ethic in school which had

been slipping tremendously. Bri lives in a troubled neighborhood where she surrounded by

families struggling to make it through, drug dealers all around the streets, and gangs that are
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constantly rivaling. Bri feels like she is struggling to start he come up with Aunt Pooh dealing

drugs, Jay losing her job, and struggling to pay bills and food. Bri is focused on winning her first

battle, so she pours all of her frustration, hurt, and anger into her first song, On the Come Up,

which then goes viral. Bri’s fame spirals out of control as she realizes she is prioritizing objects

above her friends. Bri then thinks about who she is and engages with fame on her own terms.

In conclusion, Bri faces many lifetime struggles and decisions that are placed on her

through her family, school, and community. Through the death of her father, Aunt Pooh’s drug

dealing, and Jay’s drug addiction Bri feels as if the odds are stacked against her. Self-growth is

evident in Bri as she takes time to learn and think about who she is and what she wants to be as

she never stops chasing her dream. Even through all the hardships Bri faced, she never stopped

fighting to become one of the greatest rappers. Bri fights all odds placed against her and finds a

way forward for her family and herself.

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Work Cited

Thomas, Angie. On the Come Up. Balzer + Bray, an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2019.