Bio
by: Michael Stover
Independent from the jump and fueled at times by willpower and community alone, B. Dolan has expanded his creative influence beyond music into film, poetry, and songwriting over the past fifteen years. Known on stages around the world for his impassioned delivery, dynamic live performances, and dedication to challenging the norm, Dolan engages deeply in his craft while actively fostering a community among his fans and friends. With a crate's worth of LPs, mixtapes, and live projects already in his catalogue, the road-tested hip hop poet continues to navigate life, aging, liberation, trauma, and post-lockdown culture with vulnerability and curiosity on his latest LP “The Wound is Not The Body”.
In the midst of a difficult upbringing, the Rhode Island native discovered solace and purpose in hip-hop. Scribbling his first rhymes in the early 90s at the age of 12, he found healing and political awareness in music, and an outlet to guide and make sense of his inner and outer worlds. He moved to New York, dropped out of school, and began performing at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in NYC in 2001, years later he crossed paths with Sage Francis, signed to his indie label Strange Famous, and began touring the world in 2005.
In 2010 Dolan released "Fallen House, Sunken City," a hip hop debut produced entirely by Alias of Anticon Records, to critical acclaim. In 2012, inspired by CopWatch activists and following the murder of Oscar Grant, Dolan wrote and released "Film The Police", a video that went viral and spawned a hashtag and protest ethos that persists to this day. He also became vocal in defense of LGBTQ+ rights, beginning with the song and video for "Which Side Are You On?" that spread widely during this time. The popular mixtape series ‘House of Bees’, 2015's “Kill the Wolf”, and back to back touring and releases with Francis as the Epic Beard Men cemented his reputation on the mic in the decade that followed.
Notable tours include The Church of Love & Ruin, which featured the drag performer Katya on her first touring stages and combined drag, hip hop, and sissy bounce and marching bands, and toured on two continents in 2012.
Most recently the Minecraft concert series #NetherRap, created by Dolan during the pandemic lockdown, featured acts as far ranging as Kimya Dawson, Thursday, clipping. and Moor Mother. The shows connected with thousands of people and raised funds for the Union of Musicians and Allied Workers as well as sidelined bands and musicians.
Activism
Beyond his musical accomplishments, Dolan has been working as an activist since 2005, participating in police accountability protests from a young age, then reporting on corporate crime for over a decade with CorporateBehavior.org (formerly Knowmore.org).
In 2007 Dolan clashed publicly with former CEO of American Apparel Dov Charney. Dolan's work and a year of independent reporting were critical in exposing a pattern of sexual harassment at the company. Charney was later removed from his post, and Dolan was deposed in the lawsuits against him.
Alongside his music career he's published op-eds with Pitchfork and Huffington Post throughout the #OccupyWallStreet and #BlackLivesMatter movements and has been a continuing supporter of unions and working class solidarity.
In 2018, Dolan created a viral merch item and hash tag: #MakeRacistsAfraidAgain. Through sales of parody hats over $30k was donated during Trump's election cycle to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Black Lives Matter chapters, and bail funds.
Most recently the Knowmore.org database was restored to the internet, and Dolan has also been a vocal supporter and fundraisder for the Union of Musicians and Allied Workers. He also hosts regular political streams, conversations and book readings with viewers on Twitch and Discord.
Film
In 2015, B. Dolan was hired by an independent film company to help write the story of Providence RI's Bonded Vault Heist into a film. The resulting movie, Vault, released in 2019 via Lionsgate Films. It stars Theo Rossi, Chaz Palmintieri, and Don Johnson. Dolan was also hired to compose a score or the film. Over 2 months, Dolan worked with arranger Chris Gilroy and others to put together instrumental soul/jazz and funk joints reminiscent of classic breaks. The resulting score, “Vault” was released as a limited edition vinyl 12", soundtrack and sample pack for producers with a limited edition 45 of isolated drum stems.
He's also written a number of feature length spec scripts which are available upon request. Contact Beedolan@Gmail.com direct or via KMCTAgency
