B. Dolan

B. Dolan
B. Dolan performing live in 2010
Background information
Also known as	B. Dolan, Evel Knievel, Bombzo Way, Bombzo the Clown
Born	March 8th, 1981
Origin	Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Genres	Hip hop, alternative hip hop, political hip hop
Occupation(s)	Rapper, spoken word artist, activist
Years active	1999–present
Labels	Strange Famous Records
Associated acts	Sage Francis, Alias, Scroobius Pip
Website	bdolan.net

B. Dolan (born March 8, 1981) is an American rapper, spoken word artist, activist, screenwriter and composer based in Providence, Rhode Island.

B. Dolan's first performances took place at New York City's Nuyorican Poets Cafe, where he gained respect as part of HBO's Def Poetry in 2002 and won numerous slam titles. He has since distanced himself from and criticized slam poetry. In 2011, he told the Boston Phoenix:

Doing spoken word was the first time I ever tried to present my writing on a stage, and that's what it was good for. It taught me some basic stage tricks that I still use — like how to change my voice and talk to a crowd. But once you've picked up those chops, you need to get the hell out before you become some asshole who wins the poetry slam for the 10th year in a row.

After performing at a Def Jam industry party at the Rush Arts Gallery, B. Dolan realized he wouldn't be able to work within the major label structure. Within months, he dropped out of college, bought a drum machine, and began recording the first album The Failure. During this time, he slept on "park benches and subway trains" while working as a doorman at a building in close proximity to the Twin Towers. It was at this time that the September 11 attacks happened, leaving B. Dolan in a "paranoid mental state" which caused him to move back to Rhode Island.

Once back in Rhode Island, B. Dolan tapped into the local arts community, volunteered for at-risk youth programs, created the consumer activist website Knowmore.org, teamed up with Sage Francis, signed to Strange Famous Records, and began to tour internationally since 2005.

B. Dolan has also remained prolific as a rapper, releasing albums on Strange Famous Records since 2008, and most notably creating the "Bombzo Way" and "Evel Knievel" characters, which make surprise guest appearances at his concerts. In 2010, he released his second album Fallen House, Sunken City, the entirety of which is produced by Alias of Anticon.