Desdamona | Hip-Hop and Politics

3 Dope Songs from Desdamona Reppin the Twin Cities

February 15, 2014 By mrDaveyd

Desdamona is a hip-hop and spoken word artist from Minneapolis, Minnesota She has won five Minnesota Music Awards for ‘Best Spoken Word Artist’ in the years 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006 and is considered to be the best female spoken word and hip-hop artist in the Midwest.

Her emcee name, comes from Desdemona, the wife of Othello in William Shakespeare‘s tragedy Othello. She was born and went to school in Iowa. A childhood inspiration for her music, she said, was her father who would dress up as Count Dracula and tell bedtime stories to her.

In college, Desdamona and her friends formed a band in which Desdamona was the rapper, inspired by the R&B group TLC. The group performed around Waterloo, Iowa and had a few shows in Iowa City. When she moved to Minneapolis, she found an audience for her work. She began to go to open mic nights to perform her poetry. In this way, she became known as a spoken word artist, which was not her original intention, but which, she says, “made me a better writer.”

Desdamona was noticed for her guest vocals in Brother Ali‘s We Will Always B in 2000. Her lines criticized male dominance of hip-hop and chauvinism in general. This led to her first CD, The Ledge, which came out in June 2005.

Desdamona frequently collaborates with Twin Cities beatboxer Carnage the Executioner, also known as Carnage. On Desdamona’s second disc, The Source, which came out 26 June 2007, the duo do the first track, Infinity, together.The two have formed a group called Ill Chemistry, which was noted as a rising hip-hop group at the 2007 Minnesota Music Awards. Desdamona has noted that they’re working on a collaboration on her blog.

Desdamona co-founded an female based music festival, called B-Girl Be, which incorporates all the aspects of hip-hop and spoken word; emceeing, break dance, D.J.-ing and graffiti. She also works with schools, teaching students, as well as in the Stillwater Prison program, In the Belly.

In 2010, Desdamona was invited by Ursus Minor to sing on their third album “I will not take but for an answer” and also did the 21010 Ursus Minor October and August French Tours along with Boots Riley.

Desdamona “The Comeback”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TuCdehkcjY

Desdamona “The Source”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iC-K9eDAJ4

Desdamona ‘I Don’t Stop’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGosIHnZvaQ

Desdamona “Get By”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWelD-DmsLs

Breakdown FM: Welcome to Sota Rico Meet Maria Isa Minneapolis’ Next Star

August 8, 2008 By mrDaveyd

Maria Isa is a fixture in the Minneapolis Hip Hop scene.The daughter of two Puerto Rican revolutionaries who used to get down with Young Lords and the freedom movements of the 60s and 70s, Maria brings a well-heeled politic and an infectious vibe when it comes to her music.

We talked to her about Minneapolis’s Hip Hop scene and the important role that groups like the Rhymesayers played in bring attention to a city that for years was only associated with R&B acts like Prince and Morris Day & the Time.

She talked about how steeped Minneapolis is in Hip Hop culture and how all four elements are prominently represented. She talked about Minneapolis being not only home to dope rhymers but also skilled b-boys and b-girls, graf writers and turntable masters. She described it as one big family and that at any given moment something good is jumping off in Minneapolis.

We talked about the important role that annual festivals like B-Girl B played in providing crucial platforms for the female Hip Hop community.She talked about some of Minneapolis’s other female stalwarts like film maker and fellow Puerto Rican Rachel Raimist.We talked about Rhymesayer/poet Desdemona and photographer B-Fresh.The list goes on.

We then turned our conversation to how Puerto Ricans fit in. We were curious as to whether or not PRs in the midwest played a major role in Hip Hop evolution the way they did in New York.We also found out why Maria calls her part of town Sota Rico.. Don’t get it twisted folks, Puerto Ricans have a strong presence in the midwest and they definitely get down.

We took our convo deeper as Maria explained the difference between Latin Hip Hop and Reggeaton. She noted that oftentimes people like to lump them all together, but in fact there are some unique things that one should take time to explore.

Maria broke down the important political situations facing Puerto Rico and how she tries to incorporate much of that knowledge in her music. She talked about the angst many feel because Puerto Rico is a commonwealth which is fancy word for colony. its sad that Puerto Ricans are considered US citizens yet cannot vote for the President except in primaries.

We also talked about the Latin/Brown diaspora and how the importance of bringing about Brown unity especially with issues like immigration. As a Puerto Rican Maria notes that she has the responsibility of giving voice to those who are here ‘illegally’ and can’t speak for themselves.

Maria’s album ‘Split Personality‘ is incredible and packed with cultural and political references and that pay homage to Hip Hop and her Puerto Rican heritage.

Listen to Breakdown FM Interview w/ Maria Isa

Return to Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnNaXjDM7aE