VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: Jamila Gray On Women In Rap, ‘On The Come Up’

On the Come Up follows the story of 16-year-old Bri who dreams of becoming one the greatest rappers ever. It becomes more than a dream when she has no choice but to succeed to help her family avoid eviction.

Jamila Gray, who plays Bri, recently sat for an exclusive with uInterview founder Erik Meers to discuss how her musical background helped her on screen.

“I have dabbled in music quite a bit. I had a very musical childhood,” Gray said. “My dad actually makes music. I’ve recorded a song or two and I have one out. I’m actually a DJ on the weekends, so I DJ a lot of hip-hop shows in my area. I have a heavy music background.”

Gray also revealed how she got ready to play Bri.

“Most of the prep came emotionally and just trying to understand Bri’s pain and portray that accurately,” the actress said. “She’s gone through so much for her age. Even some of the stuff she’s gone through, I have experienced later in my life and not at her age. I watched a lot of videos about what it felt like to have a parent that was an addict. I talked to friends who have been through similar situations, because I actually had a lot of people in my life who had gone through what she had gone through. I wanted to make sure those people were represented in a great way on screen.”

On the Come Up is playing in select theaters now.