On the Come Up

Brianna “Bri” Jackson, a high school junior and aspiring rapper, sits in ACT Prep after school, taking a practice test. Bri is impatient to get her phone back from her teacher because she wants to find out if she can “battle in the Ring tonight” (14-15). At the end of the session, her teacher expresses concern that Bri has “been so focused on rapping that [her] grades have dropped drastically this semester” (16). Bri returns home, where she lives with her mother and older brother. Bri’s father was murdered 12 years ago, and her mother (whom Bri calls “Jay”) is a recovered drug addict. Over a dinner of Popeyes, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Church’s (what Bri refers to as “Popkenchurch”), Bri tells her mother about her hopes of battling in the Ring tonight. Her mother is concerned about Bri’s performance in school and her ACT prep classes and stresses that “if [they] want [Bri] to get into a good school, [Bri’s] gotta take this more seriously” (22). Bri is annoyed that her mother doesn’t support her dreams of being a rapper. Bri becomes suspicious that her mother is about to give her bad news about something because “Jay only gets [Popkenchurch] when something bad happens” (24), but before Jay can speak, Bri’s phone rings, and DJ Hype tells her that she’s “got a spot in the Ring tonight!” (25).