Intelligent Woman

by DJ Rap

Intelligent Woman sees the undisputed 'Queen Of The Turntables' DJ Rap lift the lid on an extraordinary career and a tempestuous life. A highly-skilled and majorly successful DJ, producer/singer songwriter and musician from the early days of UK rave and pirate radio, Rap went on to major record deals, movie soundtrack work and headlining slots at the world's biggest festivals. A true pioneer, Rap first made it big in the macho world of old-skool jungle and even defied a death threat placed upon her by some of the more ruthless in the scene when she refused to toe the line. In typical style, Rap responded in the only way she could... with a groundbreaking album that marked her out as the first female musician to record and release an album on her very own label.

Hardcover

Published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[Benjamin Brewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

An eye-opening, heart on the sleeve trip down memory lane from a really talented producer, dj, model, mentor. Her stories growing up through a nomadic lifestyle will shock and wow you, but they’re always told with the positive, warrior spirit that only the rave era can create. The music business can be a tough and brutal place -I worked for a dnb label myself and know how it goes - but reading and hearing about her adventures and the characters involved, also brought back great memories from such a fun and adventurous time. Fair play to Charissa for getting it all down on the page. Propa respect.

[Steve O'Malley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book because of my interest in Jungle and Drum & Bass music. To be honest I devoured most of this book in two days, it's an easy reader, and then put it down for quite a while. The experiences which Rap describes are harrowing, and it's saddening to bear in mind that her experience of sexual abuse, misogyny and poor mental health are shared by so many other women.

If you into the early Hardcore, Jungle and Drum & Bass scenes, or the EDM which she got into later in her career, then it's worth checking out. I'll keep it as part of my archive of DnB culture, but I won't be reading it again any time soon.