'I don't buy into the idea that pop music can't also feature smart lyrics.'
, creating music was never the goal. The Minneapolis-born rapper/singer has a degree in philosophy from the University of Minnesota; her passion had always been writing. It took the enticing, rhythmic energy of slam poetry and a fortuitous run-in with a stranger to shift her focus to the Twin Cities' underground hip-hop scene.
Dessa reworked her essays into viable options for slam poetry and hit the stage. A local rapper who saw her perform — he went by Yoni — encouraged her to set her words to a beat. He also handed her a stack of gritty CDs burned by underground, self-made rappers. One CD caught her attention. It was by the Minneapolis hip-hop collective and label"It would be hard for me to say one way they didn't influence my career," Dessa says.
"I think that there is the presumption that pop music has to cater to the lowest common denominator of listeners," Dessa says."I don't buy into the idea that pop music can't also feature smart lyrics. It has to be catchy. It most likely has to happen within a [beat per minute] that can move your body. Be accessible, but I don't think you have to dumb down the lyrics. And so I liked the idea of using a title that was immediately writerly.
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