Brianna Jackson

Brianna Jackson is the 16-year-old first person narrator of the novel. She is the daughter of Jay and Lawless Jackson, and brother of Trey Jackson. After her father is murdered when Bri is just eight, and her mother's drug addiction escalates, Bri and Trey move in with their father's parents. Years later, even after Jay has gotten clean and the siblings have moved back in with her, Bri is haunted by memories of her father's death and mother's abandonment. As she works through these emotional and psychological struggles, Bri throws herself more and more into her love for rapping. With the help of Jay's sister Pooh, Bri does anything possible to pursue her dream of becoming a famous artist.

Her performances at the local Ring, lead to her eventually recording a controversial new song, On the Come Up. Though Bri was rapping in response to being racially...