On the Come Up

The YA love letter to hip-hop--streaming on Paramount+ September 23, 2022! Starring Sanaa Lathan (in her directorial debut), Jamila C. Gray, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Lil Yachty, Method Man, Mike Epps, GaTa (Davionte Ganter), Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Titus Makin Jr., and Michael Anthony Cooper Jr.

#1 New York Times bestseller - Seven starred reviews - Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book

Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least win her first battle. As the daughter of an underground hip hop legend who died right before he hit big, Bri's got massive shoes to fill. But it's hard to get your come up when you're labeled a hoodlum at school, and your fridge at home is empty after your mom loses her job. So Bri pours her anger and frustration into her first song, which goes viral . . . for all the wrong reasons.

Bri soon finds herself at the center of a controversy, portrayed by the media as more menace than MC. But with an eviction notice staring her family down, Bri doesn't just want to make it--she has to. Even if it means becoming the very thing the public has made her out to be.

Insightful, unflinching, and full of heart, On the Come Up is an ode to hip hop from one of the most influential literary voices of a generation. It is the story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; and about how, especially for young black people, freedom of speech isn't always free.

"For all the struggle in this book, Thomas rarely misses a step as a writer. Thomas continues to hold up that mirror with grace and confidence. We are lucky to have her, and lucky to know a girl like Bri."--The New York Times Book Review

Plus don't miss Concrete Rose, Angie Thomas's powerful prequel to her phenomenal bestseller, The Hate U Give!

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464 pages

Average rating: 8.57

53 RATINGS

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4 REVIEWS

Community Reviews

Jmaybay
Mar 08, 2024
8/10 stars
"𝑵𝒐𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒈𝒚." 𝕆𝕟 𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝕌𝕡 - 𝘈𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘴 ⭐ ( 8 / 10 ) That quote sums up this book perfectly. Not just for Bri Jackson but nearly everyone else in the book -save her brother and mother. Her brother definitely seemed to have his head on straight from birth. But that's a whole other thang. So I definitely dug this one specifically for the facts that its a good repre...read more
Anonymous
Apr 26, 2023
6/10 stars
I perhaps am not the ideal audience for this book. I'm a lateish30something mom. I don't frequently listen to rap or hip hop music because I can rarely remember the words (with exceptions for songs like "Can I Get A" or "How Many Licks") and am one of those people who loves to sing along with pretty much everything I listen to, so it is frustrating for me when I can't. I was born into white privilege and don't have a clue what it feels like to li...read more
Bebe_Sukii
Sep 23, 2022
8/10 stars
It was really good I like her character development!
Jazzy
Sep 11, 2022
4/10 stars
Easy to read young adult fiction book. Easy to follow; use book to unwind and relax.

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