Sophia Chang, First Asian Woman Of Hip Hop, Releases ‘Baddest Bitch In The Room’ Audiobook Memoir

If you don’t know Sophia Chang, you will after listening to her new audiobook ‘The Baddest Bitch In The Room’ out now through Audible and Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine production company. But there’s a good chance you are already familiar with the work on her resume, as she describes herself as “the first Asian woman in Hip Hop”, having managed music heavyweights such as Wu-Tang Clan member RZA, RnB stars D’Angelo and Raphael Saadiq, and more.

This time SHE is the star of the show, baring it all, no holds barred and unleashing her unforgettable presence to audiences in this audiobook. Sophia is a first-generation Korean-Canadian industry trailblazer, mother, mentor, and now storyteller. For decades, Sophia worked behind-the-scenes helping remarkably talented men tell their stories, which is remarkable in and of itself given the male-dominated nature of the music industry, and of the hip hop genre more specifically.

As a woman and a woman of color, hers is the perspective we have been waiting to hear. Sophia, who is described as a “music business matriarchitect” explores the following topics with humor and candor in her memoir: What it means to be the Baddest Bitch In The Room, single motherhood, being an outspoken angry Asian woman, being the first Asian woman in hip hop, ageism in the workplace and the personal space, dating and sex for women over 50, the number of sexual partners Sophia has had, who Wu-Tang are to Sophia, and much more.

‘The Baddest Bitch In The Room’ is for anyone who ever felt marginalized, invisible, undervalued, anyone who was ever told that you can’t follow your dreams, anyone who was ever made to feel that you don’t belong, anyone who dares to defy stereotypes, rules, and expectations, and anyone who has the audacity to tell their story and pursue their passion.

Sophia is someone who has spent her life and career defying stereotypes and challenging the status quo, having balanced numerous roles throughout the past few decades. In 1995, Chang left the music business to be trained in kung fu and to manage the USA Shaolin Temple with her then partner with whom she has two children. Always ready to embrace new challenges, she produced runway shows for Vivienne Tam and “Project Runway All Stars,” was an account executive at a digital agency, and wrote a screenplay for HBO. She is currently developing numerous film and TV properties.

In an interview with Complex, Sophia draws on the words of RZA when explaining why she chose to tell her story in her own words.

“RZA says, ‘My tongue is my sword.’ That’s very much how I look at myself. I’m a petite Asian woman who did not come into this industry having wealth, power, fame. So what I had to do was work really, really hard, and part of crafting my persona and my identity was sharpening my blade. In kung fu, we say, ‘Sharpen your blade every day.’ So, not only do I train in kung fu every day, but I also hone the way that I speak, and my voice is my most powerful weapon and tool for myself and to speak on behalf of others,” she told Shawn Setaro.

Here’s what she told us about what she hopes listeners will learn from her perspective on motherhood, career, relationships and more:

“I hope that people see that I have been pretty fearless in my life and pursued my passion. Granted, that’s much easier to do with a middle class safety net, as I have, but I still took many leaps. I think especially for first generation Asians, who are typically given few career choices – doctor, lawyer, engineer, etc. – and not encouraged to pursue much outside them (particularly in creative fields), I hope they are inspired by my willingness to take risks and fall, as I did. Mind you, I didn’t say “fail,” because I don’t believe I ever failed. I was fired and I fucked up, but each of those occasions granted me an opportunity to learn about myself and how I could have done better. I call that a lesson. And I consider a lesson a gift,” she said.

The audiobook has already received numerous praise from major publications including the New York Times and Entertainment Weekly. Bustle calls Sophia a “living legend” and Bust says Sophia “teaches us all how to boost our own inner bad bitch to make our dreams come true.”

Sophia dismisses stereotypes encourages us to be unapologetic about our own stories by getting personal about her own path to unapologetically owning hers:

“A very talented and smart filmmaker friend of mine named Julius Onah recently did a Q&A about his excellent film LUCE, which centers around an Eritrean boy who was adopted by white parents and feels the pressure to be perfect. During the conversation, Julius said ‘I believe every person should be granted access to the full spectrum of humanity.’ That statement is at once so simple, so profound, and so important. And I know what this feels like as an Asian woman who’s not allowed to be angry, as an Asian woman who is neither a Geisha nor a dominatrix in the bedroom, as middle aged woman who did not retire her vagina at 40, and as a petite woman who is proving to be more powerful in middle age than she was in high school. My title says it all – I am a 54 year old Korean Canadian single mother of two grown teenagers who is out here announcing to the world, loudly, that I am THE BADDEST BITCH IN THE ROOM. And I think that’s fucking radical. I am not asking the world to love me, or even like me. I am simply asking the world to imagine that I exist,” she said.

For those who feel invisible in the world, especially women of color, women in male-dominated industries, Sophia has some sage advice:
“Never underestimate your value and don’t let those motherfuckers make you feel lucky for your job. They should feel lucky to have you.”

Be sure to head over to Audible where you can sign up for a 30 day free trial and download ‘The Baddest Bitch In The Room‘ immediately. You can also hear a snippet of the audiobook in the prologue below, featuring a cameo from Method Mad, an artist she has worked with in the past.