Dessa

Margret Wander (born May 23, 1981), better known by her stage name Dessa, is an American rapper, singer, spoken word artist, writer, and record executive. She is a member and CEO of the indie hip hop collective Doomtree.

History

Early life

Dessa was born to Robert Wander Jr. and Sylvia Burgos,^[3] and has a younger brother, Max.^[4] Her father is white and her mother Puerto Rican.^[5][6] Dessa went to Southwest High School, graduating from the IB Diploma Programme in 1999. She attended the University of Minnesota, where she earned a B.A. in philosophy.^[7] Before becoming an artist full-time, she worked as a technical writer for a medical manufacturer.^[8]

Doomtree

Initially drawn to their raw aesthetics and unique sound, Dessa forged a friendship with Doomtree. Soon after, she was asked to join the crew and did so. Since 2005, Dessa has appeared on numerous Doomtree albums, as well as on the other members' solo albums. She is also the CEO of Doomtree.^[9]

Dessa's debut solo EP, False Hopes, was released in 2005. Despite being only fifteen minutes long, it was listed as one of the top local albums of the year by Minneapolis Star Tribune.

She completed and released a book of creative non-fiction titled Spiral Bound at the fourth annual Doomtree Blowout in 2008.^[10] In 2009, Dessa published Spiral Bound on Doomtree Press, a seventy-page collection of fiction and poetry.^[11]

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 features production from Paper Tiger, MK Larada, Lazerbeak, Cecil Otter and Big Jess. MK Larada also designed the album art.^[12]

In 2011, Dessa released Castor, the Twin, a remix album featuring new arrangements of songs released on previous projects, primarily A Badly Broken Code. The original production in the remixed tracks was replaced with live instrumentation.^[13]

In 2013, Dessa released Parts of Speech. The singles from this album are "Warsaw" and "Call Off Your Ghost."

Side projects

Dessa performing in 2017

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. She also taught at the Institute of Production and Recording and the McNally Smith College of Music.^[14]

On March 2, 2012, Dessa presented "Mic Lines: Art, Ethics, and their Contested Connections" at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as part of the three-day Nobel Peace Prize Forum .^[15][16]

Dessa was the host of Twin Cities Public Television's The Lowertown Line, a live music series, from 2012 to 2014.^[17]

An extensive interview with Dessa, entitled "The Bertrand Russell of Hip-Hop," was published in the Fall 2014 online edition of Rain Taxi, a Minneapolis-based literary nonprofit who has worked closely with Dessa in a number of various roles.^[18]

She was a contributing artist on the 2015 St. Paul based 'Plume Project." A public arts installment in which images and colors were projected unto steam rising from a smoke stack and music and spoken-word pieces could be accessed by calling a phone number. Dessa read her poem "Circle Games." ^[19]

In 2016, she had a flavor of ice cream named after her on July 27, 2016 by Izzy's Ice Cream, “Dessa’s Existential Crunch”.^[20] The same year, she contributed to The Hamilton Mixtape with her song "Congratulations."^[21]

Discography

Studio albums

• A Badly Broken Code (2010)
• Castor, the Twin (2011)
• Parts of Speech (2013)

EPs

• False Hopes (2005)
• Parts of Speech, Re-Edited (2014)

Singles

• "Warsaw" (2013)
• "Call Off Your Ghost" (2013)
• "Quinine" (2016)

Medida

• Medida (2004)

Guest appearances

• Sims – "No Homeowners" from Lights Out Paris (2005)
• Kanser – "No D in Erogenous" from Kanser (2005)
• Paper Tiger – "Speedmetal" from False Hopes (2007)
• Mel Gibson and the Pants – "Bit of a Buzz" from Sea vs. Shining Sea (2007)
• Heiruspecs – "Change Is Coming" from Heiruspecs (2008)
• P.O.S – "Low Light Low Life" from Never Better (2008)
• Paper Tiger – "Palace" and "And the Camera" from Made Like Us (2010)
• Lazerbeak – "Bound" from Legend Recognize Legend (2010)
• Gayngs – "No Sweat" "Faded High" from Relayted (2010)
• p-teK – "This Bridge Is Burning for You" from Oh! What a Miracle! (2011)
• Hamilton Mixtape - "Congratulations" from Hamilton Mixtape (2016)

Bibliography

• Spiral Bound (2009)
• Sleeping With Nikki (2011)
• Are You Handsome (2013)
• A Pound of Steam (2013)

References

External links

• Official website
• Dessa on Doomtree
• Dessa discography at Discogs