A Badly Broken Code

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A Badly Broken Code
Studio album by
ReleasedJanuary 19, 2010 (2010-01-19)
GenreHip hop, alternative hip hop
Length47:19
LabelDoomtree Records
ProducerMK Larada, Dessa, Lazerbeak, Cecil Otter, Paper Tiger, Big Jess, Andrew 'Ronin' Lucas
Dessa chronology
False Hopes
(2005)
A Badly Broken Code
(2010)
Castor, the Twin
(2011)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The A.V. ClubA−[1]
Robert ChristgauA−[2]
HipHopDX4/5[3]
Tiny Mix Tapes[4]

A Badly Broken Code is the debut studio album by Dessa, a member of Minneapolis indie hip hop collective Doomtree. It was released by Doomtree Records in 2010.

The album title comes from a line in the poem "Nostalgia" by American poet Billy Collins.[5]

Reception[edit]

Jakob Dorof of Tiny Mix Tapes gave the album 4 stars out of 5, saying, "The result is likely one of the best hip-hop songs you'll hear this year, let alone from the rare type of MC that manages to be white, female, and supremely talented all in one."[4]

The A.V. Club listed it as the 20th best album of 2010.[6] In 2010, City Pages listed it as the "Best Local Album of the Past 12 Months".[7]

The track "The Bullpen" was frequently used as walk out music at rallies by Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar during her 2020 Democratic presidential primaries campaign.

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Children's Work"MK Larada3:12
2."Poor Atlas"Dessa1:38
3."The Crow"Lazerbeak3:38
4."Dixon's Girl"MK Larada2:43
5."Mineshaft II"Cecil Otter3:41
6."The Chaconne" (featuring Matthew Santos)Paper Tiger4:42
7."Matches to Paper Dolls"Big Jess3:31
8."Go Home"Paper Tiger3:32
9."Seamstress"MK Larada3:59
10."Dutch"Lazerbeak3:20
11."The Bullpen"Paper Tiger2:36
12."Momento Mori"MK Larada, Dessa2:18
13."Crew"Paper Tiger2:56
14."Alibi"Paper Tiger3:03
15."Into the Spin"Andrew 'Ronin' Lucas, Dessa2:35

Charts[edit]

Chart Peak
position
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[8] 13
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[9] 48
US Rap Albums (Billboard)[10] 22

References[edit]

  1. ^ Koski, Genevieve (February 23, 2010). "Dessa: A Badly Broken Code". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  2. ^ Christgau, Robert. "CG: Dessa". Robert Christgau. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  3. ^ Tardio, Andres (February 1, 2010). "Dessa - A Badly Broken Code". HipHopDX. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Dorof, Jakob. "Dessa - A Badly Broken Code". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  5. ^ Walsh, Makena (March 29, 2011). "Breaking The Code: A Q&A With Indie Rap Songstress Dessa". The Creators Project. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  6. ^ "The best music of 2010". The A.V. Club. December 8, 2010. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  7. ^ "A Badly Broken Code by Dessa - Best Local Album of the Past 12 Months". City Pages. 2010. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  8. ^ "Dessa - Chart history - Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  9. ^ "Dessa - Chart history - Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  10. ^ "Dessa - Chart history - Rap Albums". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2016.

External links[edit]