Dessa proves that Doomtree’s darling is a force to be reckoned with

February 18, 2010, at Bottom of the Hill

By Nicole Sheikh
Published: February 21st, 2010 | 5:00pm

San Francisco’s Bottom of the Hill was a-buzz as patrons lined up around the block and waited to get into the evening’s sold-out hip-hop show — a rarity for the slightly off-the-beaten-path venue. Opening was Dessa, the lone female member of the Minneapolis-based hip-hop collective Doomtree, in support of her fellow crewmember and headlining act P.O.S. This was the one stop on the 40-city Every Never is Now Tour, Dessa’s longest tour to date, and the excitement was palpable.

But if she had butterflies, it was undetectable. As she danced from foot to foot and playfully punched her fists in the air, Dessa was clearly ready for action when she took to the stage. And why shouldn’t she be? The multifaceted singer/rapper/spoken word poet’s recent full-length album release, A Badly Broken Code (Doomtree), has been well received by dedicated fans, critics, and even the NPR circuit.

Dessa, a.k.a. Dessa Darling, is not your prototypical rapper for many reasons. She has a unique experimental style that melds expressive and soulful alto melodies with fierce, quick-witted raps. She doesn’t spit lyrics about sex, money, and fame — rather she stays true to the underground form and delivers intelligent, thought-provoking, melancholy songs about tumultuous relationships, family secrets, and her love for her friends and the Doomtree crew. While many female rappers feel the need to play into the hypersexualized nature of the male-dominated genre, Dessa stands tall, donning street clothes and a genuinely sweet smile. And yet, a flock of teenage and 20-something male fans remained planted at the front of the stage, gawking at her in wide-eyed wonder. It’s undeniable: the girl has real charisma.

Also irrefutable is Dessa’s natural swagger and stage presence. During "Go Home," a song about turning a married male friend away before things go to far, she leaned into the crowd on her mic stand and crooned like soul singer, holding a distant gaze and mischievous grin for the whole song. The crowd was more than receptive when Dessa performed some of her older songs like “Veteran” and “Mineshaft.” And she responded by cutting loose from her soul singer stance, wrapping the mic chord around her hand as she moved stealthily across the stage, letting her fierce emcee persona shine through.

Dessa clearly surpassed her duty as the evening’s opener; her raw talent and drive had the crowd begging for more. Despite this, she kept her set short (about 30 minutes) but incredibly bittersweet as she ended by flexing her slam-poetry spoken word skills, hushing the crowd to silence as she transitioned into a gorgeous acapella cover of “Hallelujah.” It’s a safe bet Dessa will be headlining her own tour in no time.

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For more photos, visit Venus Zine's Flickr page

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Doomtree Records