Bri
The sixteen-year-old protagonist and an aspiring rapper. According to Bri's mom, whom Bri calls Jay, Bri has been rapping since she was old enough to hold a hairbrush like a microphone. Despite this, Bri…
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Jay / Bri’s Mom
Bri's mom. Bri began calling her Jay about a year after Lawless's death, when Jay became addicted to crack and left Bri and Trey with Grandma and Granddaddy. Jay fully recognizes and…
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Aunt Pooh
Bri's maternal aunt. She's been in a relationship with her girlfriend, Lena, for almost a decade. Aunt Pooh was only ten when Bri was born, and this age difference means that Pooh switches…
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Malik
One of Bri's best friends. His mom, Aunt 'Chelle; Sonny's mom, Aunt Gina; and Jay were all pregnant at the same time, so the trio of Malik, Sonny, and Bri are…
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Trey
Bri's 22-year-old brother and Jay’s son. Trey also attended Midtown and was a highly involved student who was also extremely smart. He got into a good college and earned a degree in psychology…
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Sonny
One of Bri's best friends and a member of the "Unholy Trinity." Bri and Malik refer to Sonny as the "hobbit" because of how he looks, though all three of them share a love…
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Curtis
One of Bri's classmates. When the reader first meets Curtis, Bri doesn't like him. He's a tattletale and makes outrageous claims about all sorts of things, something he's done since elementary school. His claims…
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Supreme
A manager of rap artists who becomes involved in Bri’s career. He's wealthy, lives in the suburbs, and always wears sunglasses no matter the time of day. He used to be Lawless's manager…
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Miles / Milez / Rapid
Miles is Supreme's son. He's about Bri's age and lives in the suburbs. His rap name is Milez, and Bri first meets him when he's using this persona. Milez the character is a…
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Scrap
Aunt Pooh's best friend and a fellow Garden Disciple. Scrap is an easygoing person who often seems as though he's caught in the middle of doing something—his hair, Bri notes, is half cornrows and…
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Bri’s Grandma
Bri's paternal grandmother. Grandma is extremely stuck-up, though Granddaddy tells Bri at one point that Grandma is just playing—she grew up impoverished in the country and isn't well educated. Despite this, she feels superior…
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Bri’s Granddaddy
Bri's paternal grandfather. Granddaddy is a big, booming, and easygoing man and he always matches Grandma, no matter what. While Grandma is more interested in figuring out whether or not Jay is using…
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Lawless / Bri’s Dad
Bri's dad. He was killed by the Crowns gang about twelve years before the start of the novel, just as he was starting to make it big as a local rap star. Though Bri…
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Dr. Cook
The superintendent of the school district that governs Midtown. He's an older white man, and when Bri first sees him speak, she thinks he's impossibly racist and corrupt, since he refuses to acknowledge that Tate…
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Shana
A dancer at Midtown School of the Arts. Shana is barely on Bri's radar until Bri discovers that Shana is Malik's girlfriend, at which point Bri begins to see Shana as naïve and…
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Dee-Nice
A 22-year-old rapper who got his start doing battles in the Ring. However, not long before the start of the novel, Dee-Nice hired Supreme as his manager and got a million-dollar record deal, which allowed…
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Sister Daniels
Curtis's grandmother and Grandma's enemy at Christ Temple Church. Though the church still allows her to serve food, Grandma started the rumor that Sister Daniels's apartment is infested with roaches, so they no…
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DJ Hype
DJ Hype is a famous local DJ. He hosts a weekly radio show as well as rap battles at the Ring, and he facilitates Bri's first rap battle. At first, Bri idolizes DJ Hype…
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Jojo
A ten-year-old boy who lives in Aunt Pooh's apartment complex. He rides around town on a dirt bike, and it's implied that he doesn't often go to school and has very little support or…
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Ms. Tique / Kayla
Bri first meets Kayla as Ms. Tique during one of Kayla's rap battles at the Ring. Kayla is a small young woman and an exceptional rapper—she wins her battle, and Bri idolizes her. When she's…
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Emily Taylor
A white journalist for Bri's local paper who writes about how "On the Come Up" incites violence and makes the world unsafe for all children. She also starts a petition asking Dat…
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The Crown
A member of the Crowns gang, the rival gang of the Garden Disciples. He first hassles Bri and Aunt Pooh at the Ring not long after Bri releases her song, “On the Come Up…
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Mrs. Murray
Bri's poetry teacher, who also runs the afterschool ACT prep program. She's the only black teacher at Midtown and is known to have high standards. Though Bri generally likes her for this reason, Mrs…
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Pastor Eldridge
The pastor at Christ Temple Church, where Bri's entire family attends services and, prior to the start of the novel, Jay worked as a secretary. He portrays himself as a generous and kind man…
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Big Sal
The Italian woman who owns Sal's, the pizza place in Midtown. Both Trey and Kayla work for her, and the restaurant is the one place in Midtown where black kids don't have to be constantly…
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Minor Characters
James Irving
The CEO of Vine Records, where Supreme takes Bri to record a song and hopefully land a record deal. He speaks quickly and seems to love making money off of controversial rappers. Bri dislikes him immediately, especially when he calls her "sassy."
Dr. Rhodes
The principal of Midtown School of the Arts. A white woman, she doesn't take seriously the accusation that Long and Tate are unfairly targeting students of color.
Zane
One of Bri's classmates from Garden Heights. He's self-important, but both Bri and Sonny think he's extremely handsome. He's arrested during the rally at Midtown, as he's one of the boys who attack Long and Tate.
Deacon Turner
A homophobic deacon at Bri's family's church. He spoke one week about how hugging boys makes them gay, after which Sonny's family stopped attending. Bri flips him off whenever she gets the chance.
Ms. Lewis
Jay's landlord. Though she's black and also lives in the difficult Garden Heights neighborhoods, she still says things about how black people are beggars. She threatens eviction often.
Karen Pittman
A white parent who speaks at the PTA meeting about how things at Midtown have gotten worse and less safe since the school began busing black students in.
Aunt Gina
Sonny's mom. She, Aunt 'Chelle, and Jay have been best friends for years—Sonny's real first name is Jackson, after Jay's in-laws' last name. She works as a beautician.
Aunt 'Chelle
Malik's mom. She works as a security guard and is extremely loyal to Jay and Aunt Gina, her longtime best friends.
Mr. Watson
The elderly bus driver who drives the students from Garden Heights to Midtown School of the Arts. He loves Christmas and is, without fail, always on time.
Lena
Aunt Pooh's girlfriend. She and Pooh have been together since they were seventeen.
Long
One of the racist security guards at Midtown School of the Arts. Though Long is black, he's just as racist as Tate is.
Tate
One of the racist security guards at Midtown School of the Arts, along with Long.
Frank
One of the bouncers at the Ring.
Reggie
One of the bouncers at the Ring.
Deon
One of Bri's Midtown classmates from Garden Heights.
Doc
One of Aunt Pooh's friends who runs a recording studio out of a trap house.
Ms. Clark
The secretary at Midtown School of the Arts.
Mr. Barry
The owner of the restaurant the Fish Hut.
David Rodriguez
The president of the Midtown PTA.
