On the Come Up was released in theatres and on Paramount+ last year, and now fans can purchase the movie as it was released digitally this week. The film has received strong reviews, and one of the stars believes On the Come Up feels like a movie that was released over 20 years ago. PopCulture.com spoke exclusively to Jamila C. Gray who explained why On the Come Up has the same vibe as 8 Mile.
“I love the rap battle scenes. I feel like it felt like theater,” Gray exclusively told PopCulture. “And it was like it gave you so much leeway to just release and let go and be free, especially because the rap battle scenes are more dramatic and the movements are bigger. So it was a lot of fun choreographing that and getting in people’s face. And it felt like 8 Mile. And I was living my dreams as Eminem. It was so fun.”
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On the Come Up focuses on Bri, a 16-year-old rapper who looks to take her skills to the next level to support her family and live out the legacy of her late father who was a local hip-hop legend. But when her first hit song goes viral for all the wrong reasons, she has to choose between being the person that got her there or being someone the music industry wants her to be.
8 Mile, which was released in 2002, stars Eminem and features real elements of his life. Eminem plays the role of Jimmy, a white rapper who is looking to launch his career in hip-hop. The movie was such a big hit that Eminem won two Grammy Awards and an Academy Award for the song “Lose Yourself” which is part of the 8 Mile soundtrack.
While On the Come Up and 8 Mile have similarities, the former takes a look at what it’s like being a young Black female trying to make it in the hip-hop world. The movie is based on the book of the same name written by Angie Thomas who is similar to Bri as she was looking to be a rap star when she was younger.
“She said that she used to write raps,” Gray said when talking about Thomas. “And I think that… I’m trying to remember off the top of my head because this was a while back but she said she used to write raps. She was inspired by Tupac and Biggie very heavily. And eventually, she found that the part that she loved the most about rapping was the storytelling aspect of it. And that led her to be an author.”
