Dessa Is An MC Who Sings & She’s A Tour De Force At Both (Video)

Dessa of Twin Cities Hip-Hop collective Doomtree is a maven of merit and can seemingly do anything. Whether she’s rapping, singing, writing or doing Spoken Word, the Hamilton Mixtape alum does it with a unique and unapologetic style. With four albums cinched under her belt along with two EPs and countless collaborations (including “Congratulations” on the aforementioned #1-charting release), Dessa has paid her dues since her False Hopes EP debut in 2005.

The Minneapolis, Minnesota musician’s fourth album, Chime, dropped in February and seems to be the most challenging and candid of her projects. She claims that when making the LP, she discovered that being oneself is the ultimate test. The latest single on the project, “5 Out Of 6” showcases this journey both lyrically and visually in the video directed by Raquel Marvez.

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The gutsy production, handled by Andy Thompson, Dessa, Lazerbeak and Chance Lewis, is tamed by Dessa’s confident flow, which changes pace several times throughout before seamlessly transitioning into the self-sung chorus.  In one track, she flexed all of her artistic muscles without even a hint of pretension.

Double-jointed, triple threat / I’m not some method actress / Trying to see my, my descent / You’re gonna have to play the tape backwards / Save that breath for choir practice / Got no time for my detractors / Standing on my staircase / All you are is a fire hazard / I’ve put my time in now I’m vetted, uncontested / See how an honest answer shuts down / Motherf*ckers asking trick questions / I’m out here, arms wide / Hiding nothing I’ve done it all in broad daylight / And I left the cameras running,” she raps at the top of the song.

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In the second verse, the braggodocious song charges onward, “I’m running a tight ship / Every deckhand here has a five-year plan / And an ice pick They can write code, they can drive stick / I got an octave on you and a high kick / Don’t blink, I don’t block, I’m a bleeder / All I do is hit, I don’t win them all but I’d say I take five out of six / Clock’s running, better glove up, If you insist / Let’s see who’s really counting coup / And who’s been counterfeit.

Dessa’s Chime World Tour spans the globe over the next several months, and she is poised to sing the national anthem for her home team, the Minnesota Twin’s home opener.

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Photograph by Karen Cadigan via Instagram.