Leon Benson (EL BENTLY 448) is coming back strong with the release of his new single “Caged Rose!” This release celebrates the second anniversary of Benson’s exoneration, as he claims victory over surviving wrongful incarceration for 25 years. With a voice that demands to be heard, lyrics such as, “You couldn’t walk a half a mile in my Louis boots / I survived 25 and it wasn’t a fluke. / In a cage through the concrete, a rose grew,” embody his journey.
In further commemoration, EL BENTLY 448, in partnership with the Indianapolis Liberation Center and S.U.N. Families, will host the “Common Unity 2.0” concert and celebration at the Athenaeum’s Basile Theatre on March 21. This outstanding event will feature his first live performance of many unreleased, exclusive songs from his debut album, which is set to release later this year.
“From my experiences in prison, I learned that suffering is inevitable, but how we suffer is a choice. Therefore, being able to bloom like a rose, or even better, a lotus flower, within our suffering is a deeper beauty than what most people could ever understand,” Benson once said. In a recent interview, he continued articulating the theme behind the song: “In prison, no one gives you flowers. No one. I had to become my own flower. Therefore, I had to bloom in the cage. I was a rose in a cage.”
Benson’s perseverance in the face of adversity and his strength to overcome are ever present in the song, which draws inspiration from Maya Angelou’s autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and Tupac Shakur’s classic, “The Rose That Grew from Concrete.”
Produced by the talented Far Far the Dude, “Caged Rose” sheds light on the sobering truths behind Benson’s experiences while encouraging all that listen to hold fast in the face of their own struggles.
Get your tickets for Common Unity 2 now!
New music video: “Caged Rose”