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Bri’s Granddaddy
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 idolizes her dad, loves his music, and enjoys the reputation she inherits as the "Princess of the Garden," Bri also feels that Lawless factors too heavily into the way that people think of her. Bri learns from Supreme, Lawless's old manager, that Lawless got into trouble and was killed because of how Supreme managed him. Lawless wasn't a gangster when he started rapping; Supreme encouraged him to get involved with gang activity to make himself look more authentic, but Supreme believes Lawless took it too far. Lawless was Aunt Pooh's mentor, and after his death, she joined the Garden Disciples to avenge his murder. Bri inherits Lawless's chain, which she uses to feel connected to him.
Lawless / Bri’s Dad Quotes in On the Come Up
The On the Come Up quotes below are all either spoken by Lawless / Bri’s Dad or refer to Lawless / Bri’s Dad. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 1 Quotes
Mrs. Murray's expression softens. "Following your dad's footsteps, huh?"
It's weird. Whenever other people mention him, it's like they're confirming that he's not some imaginary person I only remember bits and pieces of. And when they call him my dad and not Lawless, the underground rap legend, it's like they're reminding me that I'm his and he's mine.
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Chapter 2 Quotes
"Carrying the torch for Law, huh?"
Not really. More like making my own torch and carrying it. I say, "Yeah," though, because that's what I'm supposed to say. It's part of being royalty.
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Chapter 14 Quotes
There I am, on the front page of Blackout. They posted a picture from when I was in the Ring. The headline? "Teen Daughter of Murdered Underground Rap Legend Lawless Just Killed Us Her Damn Self with This New Heat!"
Side note: Do I have a name or nah? It's short enough that it could've fit, too.
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Chapter 33 Quotes
"But I believe she's smarter than that," he says. "Don't you?"
"I know she is."
"Can you act like it then?" I ask, and my voice is super soft. "It's not like anybody else does."
This look of surprise quickly appears in my mom's eyes. Slowly, it's replaced by sadness and, soon, realization.
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Lawless / Bri’s Dad Character Timeline in On the Come Up
The timeline below shows where the character Lawless / Bri’s Dad appears in On the Come Up. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...as she barely remembers him and people only ever call him by his rap name, Lawless.
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Jay says that Bri is impatient like Lawless, and Bri tells the reader that Jay says this often—even though Jay is also impatient....
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Chapter 2
...Heights' black residents. Pooh leads Bri to the door, and people greet Bri as Li'l Law. The bouncers, Reggie and Frank, ask if Bri is "carrying the torch for Law," and...
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...rookie battle next and calls a boy named Milez. Milez is the son of Supreme, Lawless's old manager, and Pooh recognizes him as the kid responsible for the popular yet bad...
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Chapter 3
...respond to this when Milez raps that he's going to "murder" Bri like someone murdered Lawless. Bri steps forward and shouts at Milez, but Pooh pulls her back and points out...
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Bri thinks that she'd love to have more memories of Lawless than just of him being murdered. He and Jay were going out for a date...
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Chapter 4
Hours later, Bri dreams her recurring nightmare. In it, she's five. Lawless has been dead about a year. Jay puts Bri and Trey in the car and...
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Chapter 6
...Grove projects, which is a rougher neighborhood than hers. A man recognizes Bri as “Li'l Law” and shouts at her from a passing car, and Bri waves. Bri thinks that if...
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...tells Bri that she has skills and she's good for the neighborhood. He says that Lawless was a big deal and gave everyone hope, and Bri can do the same thing....
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Chapter 7
...his pizza place uniform. Other Garden Disciples in the courtyard snigger too and suggest that Lawless is ashamed of his son, but Trey drags Bri to his car. Once they're out...
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Chapter 8
Bri wakes up at 8:00 the next morning after falling asleep listening to Lawless rapping. She spent most of the night poring through her notebook, trying to choose a...
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...of a gangster, and about how the police unfairly target black people. Bri also mentions Lawless.
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Chapter 9
...find anything but his current job. He gives Jay a few $20 bills, insisting that Lawless would want Jay to take it.
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Chapter 12
Supreme comes up behind Bri, calls her Li'l Law, and tells her to try the Timbs on. Bri refuses and tells the reader that...
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...listen to it, thinking that if he can do amazing things for Dee-Nice, Milez, and Lawless, maybe he can help her too.
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...battle video. She says that Bri has been performing since she was a baby, and Lawless used to say that their "miracle" was going to be a superstar. Bri asks why...
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Chapter 13
...She has a box with her and explains that it contains things that belonged to Lawless. Quietly, she says she hid it from Grandma and from herself—she would've sold some of...
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...and pulls out a green bucket hat. She puts it on as Jay explains that Lawless insisted on wearing a hat at all times. Bri then digs out a sweatshirt and...
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Chapter 14
...school she offers to get a job, but Jay shuts this down. Bri thinks that Lawless was working two jobs and rapping when he was sixteen and Trey was born, but...
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The headline refers to Bri as Lawless's daughter and doesn't use her name, but she decides to ignore this. She sees that...
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Chapter 15
...catch sight of the chain, their eyes light up and they ask if Bri is Lawless's daughter. They know that "On the Come Up" is Bri's song. The Crown asks about...
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...prodding, introduces himself as Miles without the "z" and apologizes for what he said about Lawless during their battle. Bri is shocked that Miles sounds straight out of the suburbs, and...
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Chapter 16
...subject and asks about Bri's favorite rappers. Bri is thrilled to not be asked about Lawless. She introduces Curtis to one of her favorites, Rakim, who she insists is the Dumbledore...
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Chapter 18
...playing at any of this. She forbids Bri from rapping anymore and points out that Lawless died because he played the "rapping gangsta" part.
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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"...
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Chapter 21
...and Malik. The Crown steps out with a gun and tells Bri to hand over Lawless's chain. Bri can barely think. She sees her future flash before her and refuses. At...
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Chapter 22
...this, Malik looks even more upset. Pooh's fury intensifies when she learns that they took Lawless's chain—which Scrap says the Crowns have wanted for years—and that the Crown pointed a gun...
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...want the Crown dead, but now, she understands that the Crown will die just like Lawless did. The Crown's wife and parents will cry like Jay, Grandma, and Granddaddy did, and...
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Chapter 23
...crying. Granddaddy sighs that Grandma holds onto Trey and Bri because they remind her of Lawless. He leaves.
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Chapter 25
...great excuse to go after the Crowns, which she's wanted to do since they killed Lawless. She admits that she joined the Garden Disciples to get revenge for Lawless's death. Bri...
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Chapter 27
Hype introduces Bri as Lawless's daughter. He asks Bri what she has to say about the controversy surrounding her song...
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...hear a sixteen-year-old girl rapping about guns. When Bri asks, however, he says that hearing Lawless rap about guns at age sixteen didn't bother him. He says it's different, but Bri...
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Chapter 30
...Supreme is a genius for the way he manipulates Bri, just like he did with Lawless. He says that Lawless could've been great if he'd taken James's advice and just acted...
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...Supreme says that he can make the song look real, just like he did for Lawless—Lawless wasn't a gangster when Supreme started working with him; Supreme encouraged him to look "authentic"...
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Chapter 31
...the subject and asks Scrap about "that other thing"—getting back at the Crowns for stealing Lawless's chain. When Jay ascertains that Bri was robbed, she shrieks. Scrap says that he has...
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...a "ratchet hood rat." This doesn't surprise Jay; she says this is why Supreme and Lawless didn't get along. She asks what Supreme used to bait Bri. Bri admits that he...
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Chapter 32
...introduces Miles as "Miles, without a z," and Malik immediately calls Miles out for insulting Lawless. Miles apologizes again and says that Supreme wanted him to say that—Milez the character is...
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Chapter 33
...stuffed Tweety Birds. She says that she hasn't been in this room since it was Lawless's, and Trey gives Mom a hard time about having had sex in this room. Bri...
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...Mom says that she can't let Supreme manipulate Bri so that she ends up like Lawless. Bri looks up and says that she's not Lawless.
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...to make it. Trey supports Bri and says that it doesn't matter what happened to Lawless: Bri is “smarter than that.” Mom agrees with this, and Bri softly asks Mom if...
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Chapter 34
...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.
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...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...
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...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....
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