Happy Monday kids, another week to trudge through.
Today is day four of the Doomtree Diatribe, which brings us to the verbose and loquacious Dessa. Dessa is the slow burning, ascendant member of the group. The only crew member to release a book of fiction, prose and poetry, the excellent Spiral Bound, she is also obviously the only female member as well. But you can tell by which characteristic I mention first is more descriptive of her role in the group. Rather than discussing the role of gender identity in hip hop ad nauseam (of which I'm sure I would do a terrible job) I'd rather spend today examining her methods of expression, which are far more prevalent in her artistic endeavors. While the music world has been abuzz with love for her latest album 'A Badly Broken Code' (and it is fantastic, you should buy it) I'm fascinated by the myriad of cuts that appeared between her first and latest offerings.
Dessa, whom I'm guessing you already know at least a bit about if you're reading this, is another Minnesota native. Her entry into the rap world was a tentative one, having first sought out slam poetry and meeting members of her first group Medida, fellow artists Ronin and Yoni. While the group performed and recorded some material, they disbanded. When that happened Dessa was introduced to the raw and unfocused energy of Doomtree in its embryonic stage. After the crew had heard her perform and upon hearing of the demise of her group, Dessa was presented with the option of joining the burgeoning rap collective. She quickly said yes. What she brought to the table was a more refined, nuanced method of expression. Where as Mictlan and P.O.S. could volley back and forth on sheer frenetic energy, Dessa coaxed a literary sense of delivery out of the group, falling more into line with Cecil Otter's wordplay and Sims' insightful introspection. Her joining the group both influenced their delivery and writing style and hers.
Her first False Hopes EP shows this more subtle sense of song writing, with tracks like 'Kites' and '551' showing her divergent writing style. The first three tracks on the EP fall more into line with the group's ouvre, though - 'Press On' shows her rapping with the best of them, trading verses with Sims with ease. 'Mineshaft' was a live staple for years after its release, her descriptive style displaying a depth of introspection rarely seen in the world of hip hop. Unfortunately a full five years would pass before she would offer a proper release. In the meantime, Dessa trickled out choice cuts and guest spots on her crew mates' albums. The Doomtree False Hopes, meant as a teaser before their long-awaited crew album, shows an excellent bit of her writing, the radio-ready 'Veteran'. It's such a great song with pop sensibilities that it's a wonder they didn't release it as a single - it really would sound right at home on any modern station. Knowing the Doomtree ethos, though, that would never happen. 'If And When' is a contemplative tune that almost marches forward with icy keys, a sign of where her album would go.
When the full crew album finally was released we got a few great cuts from Dessa in particular, including the another team-up with Sims. 'The Wren' shows the two of them crafting a tale of broken hearts and trusts through the longstanding Doomtree bird terminology (a group of crows, etc.). 'Sadie Hawkins' sees her singing playfully over a funky piano beat, breaking into a Spanish rap halfway through the song. A guest spot on producer Paper Tiger's False Hopes EP has her singing in a strange new inflection, the eerie 'Speedmetal' slowly plunking along with haunting samples. Interstingly, one of the tracks on Paper Tiger did for False Hopes 13 (with the Blowout DVD) later resurfaced with new vocals on top of it. Titled 'The Chaconne', it's a gorgeous, moving song that she has actually been performing with her younger brother accompanying her, as of late. At last year's annual Doomtree Blowout the group released another group False Hopes, this one being number 15(!!!). On it is one of Dessa's best, if over looked, tracks - the manic and confrontational 'Scuffle'. The song bears the unmistakable buzzing and stuttering guitars of a beat made by fellow MC P.O.S., and the soundscape created does indeed feel like a scuffle. Dessa displays some engaging and genuinely amusing rapping over the scrambled beats.
I'm just as fascinated by these scattered offerings as I am her staggeringly good album. Like I said, it's no surprise at all she gets such massive amounts of press when considering how talented she is, in particular the out-of-time and refreshingly genuine 'Dixon's Girl'. The video is an amazing piece as well. Still, I love that such a great artist will work to give her audience a fix, offering the occasional song to bridge the gap between releases. It reflects not only the work ethic but the changing landscape of the recording industry. While the album is still key, these individual tracks serve as a companion piece when compiled together, showing a cohesion of concepts. Dessa is one to keep an eye on, for sure. The national spotlight can't be far away.
Today is day four of the Doomtree Diatribe, which brings us to the verbose and loquacious Dessa. Dessa is the slow burning, ascendant member of the group. The only crew member to release a book of fiction, prose and poetry, the excellent Spiral Bound, she is also obviously the only female member as well. But you can tell by which characteristic I mention first is more descriptive of her role in the group. Rather than discussing the role of gender identity in hip hop ad nauseam (of which I'm sure I would do a terrible job) I'd rather spend today examining her methods of expression, which are far more prevalent in her artistic endeavors. While the music world has been abuzz with love for her latest album 'A Badly Broken Code' (and it is fantastic, you should buy it) I'm fascinated by the myriad of cuts that appeared between her first and latest offerings.
Dessa, whom I'm guessing you already know at least a bit about if you're reading this, is another Minnesota native. Her entry into the rap world was a tentative one, having first sought out slam poetry and meeting members of her first group Medida, fellow artists Ronin and Yoni. While the group performed and recorded some material, they disbanded. When that happened Dessa was introduced to the raw and unfocused energy of Doomtree in its embryonic stage. After the crew had heard her perform and upon hearing of the demise of her group, Dessa was presented with the option of joining the burgeoning rap collective. She quickly said yes. What she brought to the table was a more refined, nuanced method of expression. Where as Mictlan and P.O.S. could volley back and forth on sheer frenetic energy, Dessa coaxed a literary sense of delivery out of the group, falling more into line with Cecil Otter's wordplay and Sims' insightful introspection. Her joining the group both influenced their delivery and writing style and hers.
