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
Trey chaperones Bri to the Ring on Thursday, per Mom's request. He blasts Bri's song and does a poor job of singing along, which makes Sonny and Malik snicker. Embarrassed, Bri thinks that Aunt Pooh would try to hype her up the same way. It's still weird that Pooh is gone, but Bri is trying to do what Pooh would've wanted her to do. They pull into the parking lot and whoop when they see Bri's name in lights. Bri feels like she's a part of Garden Heights.
Note how much more relaxed Bri seems now that she's going to the Ring with the people she loves most. This reminds her that the act of being famous in public is much easier when she's surrounded by people who know her and love her—and won't let her get away with questionable behavior.
Themes
Jojo skids to a stop in front of Bri and excitedly announces that he's here to see Bri perform. He insists he's not by himself—he's with Bri and her friends. Bri agrees to let Jojo come with them, and Trey asks for his mom's number. Jojo says that he's almost grown up, which makes Bri and Trey laugh. Bri gets a text from Curtis wishing her luck. Bri's group skips the line as usual, but Bri's heart stops when she sees Crowns staring at her. Frank and Reggie greet Bri and ask if she's "carrying the torch" for Lawless, but agree when Bri says she's carrying her own torch.
Frank and Reggie's reaction to Bri insisting that she's here for herself suggests that if Bri had been willing to assert her individual identity sooner, the Garden Heights community would've followed her lead—in other words, Bri may have been making a bigger deal out of being attached to her dad's fame than she needed to.
Themes
As Bri turns to head inside, one of the Crowns shouts about Bri getting to skip the line. Jojo steps forward and defends Bri, which makes her feel sick. Malik drags Jojo inside and Trey walks Bri in. Bri is nervous, but says she has to perform—the Crowns stopped Lawless, and she won't let them stop her. She flags down Supreme. Sonny narrows his eyes at Supreme as they head to a greenroom. Trey stays out front with Jojo. Bri tells Supreme that she's ready to get her contract, but she's not sure. Supreme leaves and joins James. Bri, Malik, and Sonny discuss the Crowns and their own “gangster” phases, but Bri thinks that Jojo is taking it to another level.
Bri sees Pooh in Jojo: he's uninterested in school and is extremely interested in joining the Garden Disciples and standing up for the people he loves and cares about. Through Jojo, Bri sees how gang activity and violence can rob children of their childhoods. Though Jojo's confidence is humorous on one level, when faced with a number of dangerous, adult Crowns, it shows Bri that Jojo has grown up in some ways long before he should've.
Themes
Scrap knocks on the door and gives Bri his phone. Pooh is on the line. Pooh gives Bri a pep talk and says that she might get out on the minimum sentence. When Supreme returns to tell Bri it's time, Bri hangs up and follows him out. Supreme whispers to Bri and asks if she's acting "authentic" by hanging out with Garden Disciples like Scrap, but Bri says she doesn't do that. Bri climbs into the ring when DJ Hype announces her. She realizes how corny he is as she looks out and sees her friends and family in the crowd. Behind them, she sees a bunch of Crowns holding the chain aloft. Scrap notices and gives Bri a look that asks if he should deal with them. Bri freezes.
Supreme's comment about Bri being "authentic" by associating with Scrap shows that Supreme doesn't even see the value in having relationships with people who are associated with gangs—he just sees them as a moneymaking and image-building opportunity. The Crowns' taunting of Bri gives her the opportunity to declare who she is and decide that she's going to rise above and make her own future, not follow in Lawless's footsteps.
Themes
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DJ Hype calls Bri's attention and then starts the beat for her new song. She looks at Supreme and James and thinks that people treat her like Lawless's clone. She formulates some rhymes in her head and asks Hype to stop the music. She announces that she's going to freestyle and raps that that she refuses to play along and be a sellout. She raps about how people blame hip-hop for violence and includes a note to the Crowns, saying that they're making things worse in Garden Heights and they can't stop her from rapping. People cheer and chant Bri's name. James leaves and Supreme follows. Bri knows she's done with them, and thinks that she's where she's supposed to be.
In this moment, Bri tells the world who she is: an independent young woman who wants to use her voice to speak up for her community and call out the issues she sees in it, not someone who's going to play by someone else's rules. With this, she shows Supreme that she's unwilling to play the role he wants her to and instead, she's willing to sacrifice her record deal for blazing her own trail. It is worth noting, however, that Bri only feels comfortable doing this because her poverty and trauma have been somewhat alleviated, giving her a stronger foundation to build on.
Themes
