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Jadelyn Holmes

English IV-DE

Mrs. Carberry

4, November 2021

Row 1)

1. In the story, the main character Bri is going through a series of hardships in her life. Her

mother is laid off from her job, they are trying to make ends meet living below the

poverty threshold, her brother is so bright and intelligent but is not able to use his abilities

in the right way. Through all of the adversity she experiences what she holds onto the

most is her ability to rhyme. After rising to fame in a local battle rap competition her aunt

Pooh becomes her “manager” and provides her the opportunity to record a demo. The

demo would be the first song she has ever recorded;it would define her as an artist. She

concludes that rap and hip hop is her ticket to a positive lifestyle for her family. The.

Song details the struggle she faces everyday living in poverty, surrounded by gangs, and

being a target as a young black woman in America. Through it all however she will still

persevere and she is “On the Come Up”. The song set the foundation for the main

characters storyline, which infers why the title is On The Come Up.

Row 2)

1. This story is centered around Bri, who wants to be a rapper; she has a complicated

relationship with her mother, a recovering addict. Her brother is trying to help them make

ends meet. She has an aunt who is very affiliated with the gang, and she is living in the

shadow of her father, who died before she ever even met him. What we have here is a
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serene story that kind of builds and builds until you get to the end of it. You realize that

this was about Bri figuring out who she is. She's in high school. She wants to be a rapper.

She is just like any teenager. She's online. She has her friends. Still, she doesn't know

who she is. You know she has that bad relationship with her mother she is trying to figure

out like maybe I want to date some boys I want to be a rapper I don't remember who my

father was. Still, everybody's constantly comparing me to him; she doesn't know how to

be just Bri. I think that's what was beautiful about the story. She has a song that goes

viral, and everybody takes it out of context. They all label her as this hood rat, and

everybody starts telling her that is the only way for her to make it. She must fit the

stereotype for fame and image. If she lives up to that, not everybody will take what you

say in context; everybody's going to run with it because of the way you look, the way you

dress, what your ethnicity is. Bri is learning how to share her voice and wisdom about

who she is and what exactly she is trying to say. I think auntie Thomas has crafted this

beautiful window to look through onto this community. It's incredible how organic it

feels, and how realistic the characters are, and just the community feels so tangible.

Row 3

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7K24rfJnvQbGjgXog0wcuw?si=XVk2PfBsRCW5Lu9GQW08

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There were many references to songs throughout the book. Bri uses hip hop as a way of living.

Through life lessons in her favorite songs, to songs she grew up on; she is able to channel her
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inner MC and truly feel the music. The song Rapper’s Delight by The SugarHill Gang isn’t the

very first rap song invented, however it is the one most notable for bringing hip hop to a varietal

audience. “The World Is Yours” by Nas is a song of empowerment. Bri felt empowered the first

time she heard the song. Her Aunt Pooh, her heaviest influence, used this song to remind her that

she is strong, beautiful and black and the whole world is hers. Bri was widely influenced by

Biggie. “Juicy” by Biggie is one of the most famous songs in hip hop culture. “Money” by Cardi

B is a popular song in the hip hop game right now.cardi B is an inspiration for Bri as a young

woman in rap as she is. Bri is busted for selling candy at her school, she has intricate rules she

has set for herself called the “ten SNACK commandments”. She gets the idea from “The Ten

Crack Commandments” another song by Biggie. Bri has a conversation with Vurtis, and

discovers that he enjoys Nicki Minaj. They discuss how Nicki fans can still like Cardi B. As both

women are revolutionary in rap and are great artists. Because of this statement, I decided to add

“Did it On’Em” By Nicki Minaj in the playlist. There were other references to hip hop moguls

throughout the story. LIL Kim, Kendrick Lamar, Jay Z, and even 2 PAC. Bri found inspiration in

these artists. She used their rhymes and their flows as a rubric for her style and her character.

They brought something to the rap game and brought even more to her life.

Row4

The bookOn The Come Up is about sixteen-year-old Brianna who wants to be a rapper and her

life is turned upside down when one her mom and expectedly loses her job and a song that she

makes goes viral for all the wrong reasons so On The Come Up is about what it means to be

young black in America when freedom of speech isn't always free. On The Come Up takes place

in the same neighborhood as theHate You Give but it is not a sequel or really even a spin-off star
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and Briannathe main character in On The Come Up. They are on two different sides of the same

coin. These two young ladies both represent what it's like to be young and black in America.

Where so often the world is against you. Brianna in some ways feels it more than Star does and

that's not to say Star isn’t affected but I think Breanna feels it in different ways and in harsher

ways that really affect her everyday life. Another big thing in On The Come Up is the impact that

hip-hop music has on so many young people. Bri would listen to Tupac. When Jay-Z was talking

about a hard-knock life, she would identify with that so hip-hop was the narrative that I saw Bri

in. It was the voice that she had. Bri uses it To talk about things that are happening around her

and she uses it to voice her truth. Hip-hop is a voice. Hip-hop is also a weapon. Hip-hop is an art

form, it's still poetry and I hope they're more people once they read the book they walk away

with a little more appreciation for the culture. The Hate U Give was centered around using your

voice. Finding who you are and representing yourself and your people through the gifts you

possess. Star had a voice to advocate for her friend and her community. Bri had the same thing,

she used the power of rhyme to execute the job.

Row 5

1. I created a quiz on a platform called flexi quiz

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Row 6)

“On the Come up by Angie Thomas Review – Another YA Hit.” The Guardian, Guardian

News and Media, 30 Jan. 2019,

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/jan/30/on-the-come-up-angie-thomas-review.
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Valby, Karen. “In Angie Thomas's 'on the Come up,' a Young Rapper Finds Her Way.”

The New York Times, The New York Times, 5 Feb. 2019,

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/05/books/review/angie-thomas-on-the-come-up.html.
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Thomas is a New York Times bestseller of the Hate You Give, which was recently made into a

movie, and this is her second book In On The Come Up, follow a sixteen-year-old Bri who grew

up in Garden Heights, which is the same suburb that The Hate You Give is set in. She's an

aspiring rapper for braids complex to get her to come up there because she's been labeled trouble

at school, and her mother has just recently lost her job. Her rapping career is the only thing

standing between her family and homelessness, so she has to try her best and succeed; otherwise,

she doesn't know what could happen to her and her family. I very much enjoyed this book

because, once again, Angie Thomas unflinchingly delivers the truth. This book is very different

to the hey you give but at the same time and has focused on very similar themes, and I loved that

I loved how it was similar but different because this book stands on its own, but at the same time,

it reinforces the message of The Hate U Give. In this you see Bri, the main character struggling

with the stereotypes that are enforced on her by the media and the but by the public and whether

she should give in to that, or whether she should stand on her own. She must consider what are

the repercussions of standing on her own and what are the benefits of giving in to the

stereotypes. You really see her struggle in that end it just really makes her a very enjoyable

character to read from her perspective. I also really really enjoyed these family aspects of this

which is actually a significant similarity to The Hate U Give because family plays a massive role

in this. I loved seeing Bri’s brother, mother, grandparents, and aunt and just their very loving

relationship. It’s very refreshing to visit family.because it's often an aspect that is overlooked

when writing about teenagers. Even though I don't really listen to rap or hip-hop, the plot

absolutely hooked me. Bri is just so spectacular it's so worth supporting, so I highly suggest this
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book because it will not disappoint. I give it four out of five stars, and it was just such a well

worthwhile read, and I'm so glad I spent my time reading this.

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Answer Sheet

1) false
2) False
3) True
4) False
5) Middletown School of Arts
6) Mrs. Collins
7) Church secretary
8) New Orleans
9) A siren is sounded
10) Lawless-Killed By crowns Gang
11) Mrs. Murray -Bri’s teacher
12) Aunt Pooh-Bri’s Manager
13) Milez’s father
14) Jay- Recovering drug addict
15) Bri realizes she is nothing but a paycheck to him.
16) He accuses her of killing cops, and questions whether or not she wrote her own lyrics.
17) When Bri first sees Dr. Cook speak, she thinks he is racist and corrupt. Bri is shocked
that he refuses to acknowledge that Tate and Long abused their power and unfairly
target black students. There is more to Dr. Cook and he changes his point of view. He
says that he is sorry that the district let black students down. Bri is impressed with this.
She thinks that change is possible in some people.
18) At a PTA meeting that night, Superintendent Cook makes a speech expressing his
sadness with recent unrest at school; he says the security increase is a response to the
violence. Shana takes the stage, insisting the guards use intimidation and violence to
target minority students. Dr. Cook gives an evasive response. A white woman then
makes a speech, saying minority students have gang affiliations and threaten the safety
of students like her child. Jay goes up next, recounting Bri's experience with the guards;
instead of protecting the children, the guards have threatened them. The guards and the
white woman's speech are examples of micro aggression.
19) Bri says that her video is a direct reflection of her song and people interpret it the way
they want.
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