Dessa

Dessa is a musician, an essayist, and a proud member of the hip hop collective Doomtree. She’s landed on the Billboard Top 200 list as a solo artist (Chime), as a Doomtree member (All Hands), and as a contributor to The Hamilton Mixtape. She has made her career by bucking traditional genre designations–rapping at rock festivals, co-composing for a full choir, and performing alongside a full orchestra. As a writer, she’s contributed to the New York Times, MPR, the Star Tribune, Minnesota Monthly, and literary journals across the country. She grew up in Minneapolis as the daughter of a glider pilot (and former lute player) and a Bronx-born cattlewoman (and former public relations consultant). She now splits her time between New York City, Minneapolis, and a tour van cruising at six miles per hour above the posted limit.