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All Music Guide:
Easily one of the most well-rounded members of the Minneapolis-based hip-hop collective Doomtree, Dessa (aka Dessa Darling, born Margret Wander) first made a name for herself in the world of poetry slam, eventually forming the group Medida, which would introduce her to the musical scene that made her a critical and popular darling of the Twin Cities music scene. Developing her skills as a writer and artist as both and undergrad and Master's student at the University of Minnesota (she would eventually earn both a B.A. and an M.A in Philosophy), Dessa took her passion for spoken word poetry out into the Minneapolis scene, eventually introducing her to the people (MC Yoni, in particular) that would lead her to direct interaction, and eventually membership in, the Doomtree collective. Once establishing her skills as an MC in the group, Dessa released a solo EP, False Hopes, in 2005. Widely acclaimed by the local press, the EP made a number of year-end critic lists, and established her as the rising star within Doomtree. Over the next few years, Dessa focused on giving back to Doomtree, appearing on countless solo works as well as the collective's group albums. In 2009, she became the first of the bunch to release a book of her written work, entitled Spiral Bound. This upward movement only increased as 2010 saw the national release of her first solo full-length, A Badly Broken Code. The album, already having created a buzz before its release, won an avalanche of critical acclaim, and was a brisk seller in her home city. The rest of 2010 would find Dessa embarked on a 40-city tour with P.O.S. (also of Doomtree) to support the record. She has also appeared at a number of local literary events in the Twin Cities, in addition to her work with the all-female a cappella group the Boy Sopranos.
Wikipedia:
Dessa (born Margret Wander) is a rapper from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is best known as a member of the indie hip hop collective Doomtree. She is also a spoken word artist, radio host for Cities 97 and writer.
Education
Dessa went to Southwest High School. She attended the University of Minnesota, where she earned a B.A. in Philosophy. Before becoming an artist full-time, Dessa was a technical writer for a medical manufacturer.
Career
Entering music
Dessa started out writing spoken word poetry. A friend eventually convinced her to join the Minnesota slam poetry team. Her poetry was brought to the attention of MC Yoni, with whom she would go on to form the group Medida (along with Omaur Bliss and producer Ronin), her first foray into hip-hop. Yoni would be instrumental in shaping her understanding of hip-hop history, and later on would also be the first to introduce Dessa to the music of Doomtree, who unbeknownst to her lived in the house next door.
Doomtree
Initially drawn to their raw aesthetics and unique sound, Dessa forged a friendship with Doomtree. Soon after, she started dating P.O.S. Though they eventually ended their relationship, she was asked nonetheless to join the crew, and did so. Since 2005, Dessa has appeared on numerous Doomtree's albums, as well as on the other members' solo albums.
Dessa's debut solo EP False Hopes was released in 2005. Despite being only fifteen minutes long, it was still listed as one of the top local albums of the year by Minneapolis Star Tribune.
In the meantime, she completed and released a book of creative non-fiction titled Spiral Bound at the fourth annual Doomtree Blowout in 2008. In 2009, Dessa has published Spiral Bound on Doomtree Press, a seventy-page collection of fiction and poetry that is said to contain several moments of sublime clarity.
Dessa's first solo album A Badly Broken Code was released on January 19, 2010. The singles from this album are "Dixon's Girl" and "The Chaconne." The album displays Dessa's talents as a singer, rapper and lyricist within the fifteen tracks, and features production from Paper Tiger, MK Larada, Lazerbeak, Cecil Otter and Big Jess. The album art for A Badly Broken Code was designed by MK Larada.
In 2011, Dessa released Castor, The Twin.
Dessa is currently working on a new album that is to be released on Doomtree Records early 2012.
Side projects
Dessa is a founding member of The Boy Sopranos, an almost all-female a cappella group, with frequent collaborators Jessy Greene, Aby Wolf and others.
Dessa also teaches at the Institute of Production and Recording and the McNally Smith College of Music.
