On the Come Up tells the story of Bri’s struggle to remain true to herself as she pursues her “come up” as a rapper. While Bri’s talent is never in doubt, she must contend with the deeply entrenched stereotypes that society, the media, and the music industry attempt to impose upon her. For Bri, her come up represents financial security, social acceptance, belonging, and empowerment, all of which are elusive for her. Bri is determined to get her come up through rap, which for her is not just a path to fame and fortune, but also a pure form of self-expression. She is at her best when she is freestyling, speaking directly from her heart, and she wins her first battle in the Ring by calling out the fake, inauthentic lyrics of her opponent, Milez.  

Yet Bri herself struggles to remain authentic due to the damaging influence of racial stereotypes and prejudices, which present constant barriers to success for Bri and her family. Bri’s mother Jay is a recovering addict, and although she’s been sober for eight years, the stigma of her past addiction prevents her from finding a steady job to support the family. Bri’s brother Trey is a college graduate and aspiring grad student, but his education is not valued, as he can only get a low-paying job in a pizza place. Aunt Pooh has achieved financial security, but only by resigning herself to a life of crime, having given up on legitimate paths to success. Lawless achieved some fame as an underground rapper, but only by caving to pressure to rap about gang life, which ended up costing him his life.  

Bri herself feels trapped by stereotypes that hinder her from reaching her full potential. At her suburban school of the arts, where Black students and teachers are the minority, she feels “invisible” and misunderstood, except within the small circle of friends from her neighborhood. Once her music increases her visibility at school, her fame quickly becomes tainted with negative stereotypes that don’t represent who she is. As a result, Bri often raps about being misunderstood and unfairly judged, which is consistent with her life experience. Throughout the novel, she is the target of prejudice from school faculty, security guards, store clerks, her audience, and the media, all of whom characterize her as a stereotypical Black girl: aggressive, thuggish, a hoodlum, and a threat.  

The novel’s inciting incident occurs when the school security guards school single Bri out and violently assault her for refusing to have her bag searched. The injustice and trauma of the assault shake Bri, even more so after the white school principal defends the security guards’ actions and suspends her simply for having candy in her backpack. The principal essentially blames Bri for the incident, arguing that it fits a pattern of “aggressive” behavior on her part, and soon after, a rumor begins circulating that Bri is a drug dealer.   

Bri’s anger and resentment over the incident burst forth in the lyrics of her song, “On the Come Up.” In the song, she lashes out at authority figures who, like the security guards at her school, unfairly assume that she and other Black people are armed criminals. However, in doing so, she also suggests that she actually does have a gun and will use it—which is far from the truth. Bri initially shares the song only with a few friends and close family members. Some of them love it, but her closest confidants, including Malik and Aunt Pooh, urge her not to release it, saying the song is dangerous and does not reflect who Bri is. But Supreme, Lawless’s old manager, instantly recognizes that the song’s controversial lyrics will make it a hit. Once the song is released, it is immediately interpreted not as a criticism of unfair stereotypes about Black violence, but as a confirmation of them. Many of Bri’s classmates of color understand the lyrics as a call to arms against racial injustice at the school. Meanwhile, white voices in the media and at the school argue that the song should be banned for glorifying violence, especially after students riot while chanting lyrics from the song.  

Bri vehemently disagrees with the charge that her song promotes violence. She frequently becomes frustrated and rages at her critics on social media, later regretting her public outbursts and wondering if she is becoming the violent stereotype she resents. But for Supreme, Bri’s volatility is what makes her marketable. Supreme argues that the key to success in the world of hip-hop, which is funded by white executives and white listeners, is to feed into white fear of Black people. The more violent Bri gets—getting thrown out of the Ring for fighting, going live on Instagram to tell off a white journalist, attacking DJ Hype—the more Supreme praises Bri for playing the “role” of the violent Black girl. Supreme’s philosophy never sits well with Bri, but tempted by the financial security he offers, she repeatedly follows his advice, ignoring her own misgivings and the entreaties of her closest friends and family.  

Having tasted a measure of fame, Bri continues courting the limelight, and her public displays of defiance and bravado lead her increasingly closer to real violence. She begins wearing Lawless’s gold chain everywhere. To her, the chain is a symbol of her birthright as rap royalty, but it offends the Crowns, the rival gang that was responsible for her father’s murder. When one of the Crowns robs Bri and Malik at gunpoint, taking the chain, Bri calls Aunt Pooh to help her get vengeance. When Bri realizes that Aunt Pooh plans to murder the Crown, she instantly feels remorse, fearing that she may have instigated a gang war. 

The climax of the story comes when Aunt Pooh is arrested in the drug raid. As Bri runs from the scene, one of her knockoff boots (the “Not-Timbs”) breaks, symbolizing Bri’s growing realization that she must stop trying to be someone she is not. Stunned by grief and anger over Pooh’s arrest, she goes to the studio with Supreme, who coerces her into recording a song someone else has written for her. The song is designed to further cement her image as a “hood-rat.” Recording the song while Supreme and the record executive watch her through the glass, Bri feels like caged animal, forced to entertain for her captors. Bri sees her own reflection in the glass and realizes she has lost herself, but she records the song anyway.  

In the wake of her aunt’s arrest and the terrible recording session, Bri finally lets go of the idea that she can handle everything on her own and begins to confide in her family and friends again. She tells Jay the truth about her rap career and Supreme’s influence on her, and Jay is able to reclaim the role as Bri’s mother and protector. Bri sits down to a family dinner and sees herself reflected in each family member, symbolically returning to her roots and to her true self. In a triumphant return to the Ring, Bri bucks expectations, refusing to rap the ghostwritten song as planned. As the record executive and Supreme look on, Bri delivers a powerful freestyle manifesto, refusing to play the “roles” that others have used to try to define her. Instead, she reclaims the power of her father’s legacy, her own talent, and her own voice. In the end, Bri realizes that her “come up” is more complex than a record contract. Coming into her own means staying close to her family and friends and staying true to herself.