He didn't teach me to rap. I taught myself.
-- Narrator/Bri (chapter 2)

Importance: Bri has this thought about her father shortly before her first battle in the Ring. This passage reveals her frustrations with the community's insistence on calling her a diminutive of her late father's rapper name. Determined to establish herself as an artist, she wants to be known for her own work rather than for her father's reputation. Appearing early in the novel, this moment shows the truth of Bri's desire to create a name, voice, and identity for herself. The rest of the narrative traces her work to do so.

You're gonna face a whole lot of Longs and Tates in your life, baby.
-- Jay (chapter 5)

Importance: Jay says this to Bri in the aftermath of her negative encounter with the school security guards, Long and Tate. Her words are a reminder to Bri that she will always face racial stigmatization; it is up...