Best of Soundcheck: Dessa, Omar Offendum

For this episode of Soundcheck, the rapper, singer, and author Dessa gets political, and Syrian-American rapper Omar Offendum gets historical. Minneapolis-raised singer and rapper known as Dessa has found a way to reflect modern society with scathing satire and wry humor, in both her songs and in her essays and poems. Her explicit commentary on the state of American politics, along with digressions on art, science, business, love, failure, and creativity fuel her latest songs, which she performs in-studio.

Set list: 1. Camelot 2. Tough Call 3. What if I'm Not Ready

And the Syrian-American rapper, poet, and peace activist Omar Offendum offers a musical history lesson of sorts, one with uncomfortable echoes of our own time, in “The Little Syria Show.”  It’s about a remarkable immigrant neighborhood in New York that lasted from the 1880s to 1940 and was a center of music, poetry, and publishing – including a book you may well have on your shelf.  In a celebration of Arab-American cultural heritage, Omar Offendum shares insights on diasporic memory and performs some of the songs from The Little Syria Show, in-studio.

Set list: 1. Peddling Dervish 2. Mojaddareh 3. Not Quite White