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Easily one of the most well-rounded members of the Minneapolis-based hip-hop collective Doomtree, Dessa (aka Dessa Darling, born Margret Wander) first made a name for herself in the world of poetry slam, eventually forming the group Medida, which would introduce her to the musical scene that made her a critical and popular darling of the Twin Cities music scene. Developing her skills as a writer and artist as both and undergrad and Master's student at the University of Minnesota (she would eventually earn both a B.A. and an M.A in Philosophy), Dessa took her passion for spoken word poetry out into the Minneapolis scene, eventually introducing her to the people (MC Yoni, in particular) that would lead her to direct interaction, and eventually membership in, the Doomtree collective. Once establishing her skills as an MC in the group, Dessa released a solo EP, False Hopes, in 2005. Widely acclaimed by the local press, the EP made a number of year-end critic lists, and established her as t...