Today Minneapolis songwriter, rapper, spoken word artist and Doomtree member Dessa releases her fourth solo album, Chime, via Doomtree records. After premiering two of the album's tracks earlier this month, The Afternoon Show with DJ Kevin Cole will be celebrating the release by playing songs from the record throughout the show. Kevin will also be playing a mini-set focusing on songs that inspired the record with commentary from Dessa herself. You'll want to keep your ear to the speakers for a signed test pressing giveaway during the show.
Dessa first joined Doomtree back in 2005 and now serves as the collective's CEO. Her career expands far beyond just music. She's previously released a collection of poetry and non-fiction prose called Spiral Bound in 2009 and plans on releasing a personal essay collection, In My Own Devices: True Stories From the Road on Music, Science, and Senseless Love, on Sept. 18. Next month she'll venture out on a world tour, stopping through Seattle on April 27 at The Neptune and April 28 in Portland at Wonder Ballroom.
Tune into The Afternoon Show today, Feb. 23, from 2-6 p.m. to learn more about Dessa, her multi-artform work, and the processes behind Chime.
An essayist as well as a rapper, Dessa’s lyricism has always been a pool fed by both hip-hop and those forms of storytelling and poetry meant for the page. The Doomtree affiliated, Minneapolis MC is especially sharp-eyed on her latest single “Fire Drills,” off the soon-to-be-released album Chime.
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song comes from Doomtree v…
Part of Minneapolis' Doomtree collective, Dessa, the 7-member group's only female emcee, may also be their most well rounded. A degree in philosophy, a background in writing, particularly in creative non-fiction and spoken-word, and enough business acumen to run day-to-days of the label itself all …
