On the Come Up

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.