‘On The Come Up’ Trailer: Sanaa Lathan’s Directorial Debut Chronicles A Teen’s Rise In Her Local Battle Rap Scene

After starring in dozens of films and TV series, it appears Sanaa Lathan is ready to try her hand at filmmaking. And she is going to make her directorial debut in the highly-anticipated YA drama, “On the Come Up.”

As seen in the trailer for “On the Come Up,” the film follows the story of a teen rapper who is hoping to rise in the ranks of the local battle rap scene. She does this in honor of her father, who was killed due to gang violence and was never able to fulfill his dreams of rap stardom. 

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The film stars Jamila C. Gray, Sanaa Lathan, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Lil Yachty,  Method Man, Mike Epps, GaTa (a.k.a. Davionte Ganter), Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Titus Makin Jr., and Michael Anthony Cooper Jr. As mentioned, “On the Come Up” is the feature directorial debut for Lathan. She previously worked on a short that was featured in the film, “With/In,” which debuted at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival. 

“On the Come Up” is set to debut on September 23 on Paramount+. You can watch the trailer below.

Here’s the synopsis:

Bri, a 16-year-old gifted rapper, attempts to take the battle rap scene by storm in order to lift up her family and do right by the legacy of her father—a local hip hop legend whose career was cut short by gang violence. But when her first hit song goes viral for all the wrong reasons, she finds herself torn between the authenticity that got her this far and the false persona that the industry wants to impose upon her. On the Come Up is based on the New York Times’ #1 best-selling novel by Angie Thomas.