Legendary hip-hop manager, mother of two, feminist icon, baddest bitch in the room.
These four things only touch on the surface of the human who is Sophia Chang. She is driven. She is smart. She is unafraid to stand up to anyone who threatens her in any way. She. is. a. badass.
I started The Baddest Bitch in the Room with literally no knowledge of Sophia Chang other than the fact that she was somehow involved with the Wu-Tang Clan and that she’d made a name for herself as a feminist icon in an industry overrun by testosterone.
Was I in for a surprise.
It’s clear throughout the entire memoir that Sophia Chang gives herself wholeheartedly to every single thing she takes on in her life. While this would make some people crumble under the pressure, Chang juggles her responsibility in a way that suggests that she might possibly be the strongest person in the room at any given time.
She’s a mother, a lover, a devoted friend and daughter, and a hard worker. But she is also just a normal person. She’s faced heartbreak, racism, sexism, and so many other horrible things that are, unfortunately, completely normal.
I’m not going to tell you the plot of this book because it’s a memoir, and while it’s mostly Google-able stuff, Chang gets into some deep things about her past and her life that I think should be appreciated in her words rather than mine or someone else’s on a Wikipedia page. Instead, I would like to take a moment to appreciate how the audiobook of the memoir itself is a work of art.
Most important is the compelling narrative of the memoir itself. Chang’s words drive the book forward in a way that hooks you and leaves you genuinely caring about her and her journey. But the background music and sound effects, the recordings from people she loves, and the raw emotion behind her voice is what I feel really takes it over the top in the absolute best way. Listeners hear this badass woman laugh, cry, swear, and yell her way through her story. I wasn’t expecting to cry, laugh out loud, or audibly say, “What the hell?” while listening to this book, but I did – on numerous occasions.
This book is an amazing collaboration between Audible Originals and Hello Sunshine, and if every project they put out is this driven and passionate, the world will be better for it.
I recommend this book to people who love hip-hop, feminism, and stories of beating the odds. It turned me into a complete Sophia Chang stan, and I’m so glad I have the privilege of adding her to my list of feminist inspirations.
A copy of this audiobook was provided by Audible for review.
Content warning: I was given the explicit version of this book, which includes a lot of swearing and adult content and themes. There is a cleaner version for those who would like to enjoy this story without this content.
