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Supreme plays the role of antagonist in the novel. He pretends to be a strong supporter of Bri and her career, going out of his way to court her as a client and promote her work. However, he consistently encourages Bri to amplify her worst tendencies, congratulating her when she loses her temper or gets aggressive. A veteran of the music industry, Supreme is focused on what sells—which, according to him, is Black artists who inspire fear in white listeners. He coaches Bri and his own son Miles to adopt “gangsta” personas that are untrue to who they are, as he once coached Bri’s father Lawless to do. Although this strategy leads to Lawless’s death in a gang shooting, Supreme takes none of the blame, arguing that Lawless wasn’t smart enough to keep his rap persona separate from real life. Focused on the bottom line and million-dollar record deals, Supreme continuously ignores Bri’s protests and takes creative control over her career. When Bri stands in the spotlight on her own terms, rapping her own lyrics instead of the terrible ones he had someone else write for her, it is clear she never needed him.
