Born Margaret Wander, Dessa’s first release with Doomtree, False Hopes, introduced a unique sensibility to underground hip-hop: literary, bitter-sweet, and wry. She alternated between a clever, droll persona as an emcee and her earnest, unaffected delivery as a singer with a low, clear alto voice. Her a cappella arrangements delicate and expressive, full of sad, old world harmonies. False Hopes attracted a varied set of ferociously dedicated fans in the Midwest and beyond. The press compared her to Lauryn Hill and Ladybug Mecca, and then as “equal parts Ani DiFranco and Mos Def” (Rift Magazine).Most recently, Dessa published a book under the Doomtree banner. Spiral Bound, her collection of essays and poetry, was dubbed a “dazz... read more