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Hip-Hop
Hip-hop plays a crucial role in the book, not only as an influential art form but also a defining force in Bri’s life. She describes her introduction to hip-hop in rapturous terms, saying that hip-hop changed her life. Most of Bri’s heroes are hip-hop artists, including the fictional stars of the local Garden Heights rap scene, like Lawless, Dee Nice, and Trey's girlfriend Ms. Tique. She also drops plenty of references to contemporary real-life rap stars like Cardi-B and Nas, as well as old-school titans of hip-hop like Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G. Bri’s talent as a rapper seems evident to everyone in the novel, from her English teacher who describes it as poetry, to her friends and family who praise her talent, to the classmates who never seemed to notice her before her win at the Ring.
Bri’s pure love for hip-hop is countered by the cynically pragmatic philosophy of Supreme, her manager, for whom hip-hop is essentially a con. He encourages Bri to play the role of the Black “hoodlum” for the entertainment of white people who will pay to have their stereotypes reinforced. Supreme relocates the source of hip-hop’s power, taking it away from Bri and other Black creators and putting it in the hands of white voyeurs. Bri becomes confused and unmoored by the commercial vision of hip-hop that Supreme tries to impose upon her.
Fantasy Films and Books
Throughout the novel, Bri frequently references fantasy worlds from movies and books like Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Black Panther, Spiderman, and others. Bri’s family and friends sometimes tease her on account of her affinity for “nerd sh**,” but that doesn’t stop her from wearing a Darth Vader hoodie and Spiderman socks, comparing her treacherous neighborhood to the Death Star, likening her “invisibility” at school to an invisibility cloak, and greeting her Black friends with a salute of “Wakanda forever!” She likes to call Aunt Pooh her “personal Yoda,” even though Pooh barely knows who Yoda is. Bri often reaches for fantasy references when she is attempting to describe her experience of the world. These tales all feature unlikely, misunderstood heroes endowed with special powers, not unlike Bri’s own conception of herself. Comparing her own world to worlds populated by superheroes and supervillains allows her to articulate her own internal and external conflicts.
Abandonment
Bri is abandoned again and again throughout the novel: by her father when he dies, by her mother Jay when she becomes addicted to drugs, and by Aunt Pooh’s frequent disappearances and eventual arrest. These abandonments stem from a combination of her family members’ personal choices and the unjust and racially biased systems they find themselves trapped within. This pattern of abandonment inflicts trauma on Bri that she is only partially aware of. Early in the novel, Bri reveals that she has recurring nightmares of the day Jay dropped her and Trey off at their grandparents’ house. Even though that was many years ago, Bri still finds it very difficult to confide in her family, especially her mother, whom she calls “Jay” instead of “Mom.” Throughout the novel, Bri attempts to reestablish trust with Jay, but she hides her rap career and her scariest experiences from her, making it impossible for Jay to support or protect her. Bri tries to rely on Aunt Pooh, but Pooh repeatedly abandons her when Bri needs her most. After Aunt Pooh’s arrest, Bri finds refuge in the arms of Curtis when Aunt Pooh is arrested. Curtis understands Bri because he too feels abandoned by his mother, who is in jail.
