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​Dessa was once known as one Margret Wander, a philosophy major and technical writer from Minneapolis.

But after joining the campus slam poetry team, Wander evolved into hip-hop diva Dessa and quickly gained the attention of her hometown's music collective known as Doomtree. Of course, it didn't hurt that Dessa's boyfriend was Doomtree's founder and ranking artist Stefon Alexander, aka P.O.S. Although no longer a couple, the pair is currently on tour together, and, along with Astronautalis, they'll stop by Hailey's tonight for a gig in Denton.

Dessa's recently issued, full-length debut, A Badly Broken Code, is the reason for her appearance tonight and it's an impressive collection of inventive hip-hop. Using unusual instrumentation (sampled strings and clarinets) to set the beats, Dessa raps with uncommon tact as she actually sings rather than shouts.

Speaking from a tour stop in Los Vegas, Dessa let us in on her imaginative mind.

Who gets to call you Margret these days?
I have one uncle who calls me Margret. My last name is Wander and the word "dessa" means "wander" in Greek. Of course, I didn't know that until after I choose the stage name.

How many other hip-hop artists have a college degree in philosophy?
I might be one of the few. Every so often, I find out that some artist has a degree in some field that is as equally intellectual and I hadn't heard about it until I read it as part of their bio. I imagine there may be more of us out there than people imagine. I would venture to say that I may be the only female hip-hop artist with a degree in philosophy, though.

Why does the hip-hop genre have so few female artists?
I'm not sure exactly why. I know that the scene is dominated by guys. I know that, by and large, it's been an art form that has been characterized in a lot of male ways for the length of its history. Perhaps, in the coming years, there will be more female emcees.

Does it feel special to come from a city that has as rich musical heritage as Minneapolis does?
Absolutely. We have really permeable genres in the city. Mixed bills are really common where you will have a hip-hop act playing with an indie rock act and an instrumental ensemble. That's not unusual in our city--and in a lot of other markets that would be asking a lot of an audience.

How cool is it to be part of the Doomtree collective?
I don't know if I would be doing what I am doing now if it weren't for Doomtree. Those guys have been a huge part of making this career as attractive as it is to me. Those bands have also been a big part of shaping the aesthetic that I am interested in.

How important is it for you to actually sing on your records?
I think, initially, I was actually apprehensive about singing too much because I was afraid some hip-hoppers might write me off. Now, I love having the opportunity to decide which format would be better for a given line, whether to sing it or to rap it. My favorite rappers don't yell. I don't do it. I don't like performances that lack nuance and dynamics. My favorite rappers exercise a lot more control.

The video for the first single from the album, "Dixon's Girl," has some very disturbing imagery. How much input did you have in that video?
It's a dark video. I've made four videos for the album with two of them yet released. Working on a Doomtree budget, which is actually a shoestring budget, you give your disc to a series of directors and they develop treatments for the songs that they select. I think the director got a dark feel from some of the samples in that song. He drafted his own vision for the video that is a complement, but the video does not narrate the lyrics to that song.

You have published a book of nonfiction (Spiral Bound). Do you have another book in the works?
I do. It's way too early to title it, but I did anyway. It's called A Perfect Burn and it's about a trip I took to India where I visited a cremation fire. I hope to have it finished this year.

Dessa performs at Hailey's tonight with P.O.S. and Astronautalis
source: DallasObserver

Following the success of his popular Just Blaze-produced track, "Exhibit C," producer/rapper Jay Electronica isn't resting on his laurels, he's hard at work preparing new music for the rest of the year.

The New Orleans native is currently completing the U.K. leg of his tour, and during the trek, caught up with MTV and revealed new projects in the coming months.

Electronica says that not only does he have the street CD Act II and the official LP Act III coming, but he's also prepping multiple collaborative efforts with the likes of Mos Def, Guilty Simpson, Nas, and if possible, another with Lupe Fiasco.

"It's still Act II. Act III, the official album, which 'Exhibit A' and 'Exhibit C' are a part of [as well as] 'Dear Moleskin,' " Jay told MTV this week. "Me and Mos [Def] have a project that we're doing, me and Guilty Simpson have a project that we're doing. I would like to do a project with Lupe -- [Fiasco] we're going to do a project at some point. Me and Nas have a project that we're doing. I'm just trying. I'm in the process of working and connecting. I don't really feel like a song or an album is the end-all, be-all to what we're doing.

"You can expect my album this year," he added. "You can expect multiple projects this year. We're going to do a lot this year."

He also confirmed that superproducer Just Blaze would be taking the reigns for around 65% of his debut album.

Aside from business, Jay is also focusing on raising a baby girl with singer Erykah Badu, which he says factors in when setting time frames for the aforementioned projects.

"As a person trying to grow and figure out how to handle things, learn and be a man -- all that's a part of the process too," he explained. "It's hard to put a release date on those type of things when you're factoring those things in."

London's best kept secret. Not only is their tons of records to buy. This is a great meeting spot for a saturday. Store owners DJ through out the day. You can get a drink and their is plenty of space to chill. I can see this spot turning into something very special. if you got time please check it out.

The Vibe Bar was formed in the mid-nineties when Alan Miller and Lee Dicker were scouting round London for locations for their new club and happened upon this spot in the Truman Brewery on Brick Lane, which had been hosting raves and warehouse parties for a while.

Miller and Dicker with their array of DJs, producers, artists and musicians would transform the place into a venue that not only would alter and define the Brick Lane area, but even found itself at the heart of a reinvigorated ‘swinging’ London. MTV broadcast MTV Base from here weekly for over a year while, believe it or not, the Labour Party once held a Party Political Broadcast from Vibe in an attempt to plug into the whole cool Britannia concept of a decade or so ago.

“There was a lot of raves and warehouse parties going when it was first taken over,” says current Events Manager for live music Jon Wright. “They decided to put together a bar and fill the auxiliary space with studios and so on.

“The place has always been busy and is a focal point for the area. Obviously the courtyard is great; any time you walk past there in the summer it is heaving. We try to use the space as much as possible, like with the Brick Lane Festival when we put a stage out there.”

Almost all live music takes place in the large upstairs area, a room with a small stage, a few sofas, a relaxed atmosphere and a growing reputation for presenting some of London’s finest bands. Live music has only been going on here since May 2008, when promoters All Star Lanes came into the frame.

But live stuff is only one part of The Vibe Bar’s appeal. The venue offers film screenings, burlesque shows, exhibitions and of course, a lot of DJs. “The whole thing has everything,” says Wright, “and The Vibe Bar is one of the only places where you will come down on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and there will be a live DJ programmed in.

“A lot of bars are closing or just putting on a mix CD. We try and still give that presence, it makes a big difference to the bar to have someone behind that little area doing something.”

Sitting as it does on Brick Lane opposite 93 Feet East and just down from all the curry houses that harass you so stoically, The Vibe Bar is ideally situated. What’s more, it has carved out its own genre niche over the years.

“At 93 Feet East you have a lot of youthful indie,” says Wright, “Club 1001 is more housey and techno, Big Chill is king of reggae and beats and breaks. We don’t see them as rivals.

“We do a lot of funk and soul. In an age where every club you go to is Serato and the new electro bang-up with all the kids going fluoro, you will come down here and find someone digging through their old seven-inch collection. We also do a record fair every Saturday and Sunday in the courtyard.”
Other claims to fame include having had Pete Townshend start rapping on stage, to which Liam Gallagher added chanting on the floor. Madonna has enjoyed herself here while Talvin Singh’s mash-ups are now stuff of legend.

The Vibe Bar continues to mature, and is surely here for the long haul even if all about them lose their heads.

Where? The Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, E1 6QL 020 7247 3479
http://www.vibe-bar.co.uk/
How? Tube: Aldgate East (Hammersmith and City, District Lines) Liverpool Street (Hammersmith and City, Circle, Metropolitan, Central Lines)
Founded? 1995
Atmosphere? The newest old school
Pint? £3.60

The beatmakers/producers will compete on Saturday February 27th, 2010 to determine who is the most skilled crate digger, sample chopper, and sound manipulator. A night of great music provided by Deejay Random, DJ Devastate, Key Figures plus Guests. King of The Beats 4,Saturday, February 27th, 8pm At The Vibe Bar, 91 Brick Lane,London E1 6Q

INTERNATIONAL CHAPTERS
As the KING OF THE BEATS movement grows new chapters have started in Japan, Brazil, USA, Australia and Italy. Keep an eye out for events in your Region.
http://kingofthebeats.com