E L B E N T L Y 4 4 8
IBG OUT NOW
IBG OUT NOW
INNOCENT BORN GUILTY.
Out now on all platforms.
EL BENTLY 448 was exonerated on March 8, 2023 for a murder he did not commit. Back in the world with an incredible story to tell, his debut EP is out now on DJC Records.
One of the first DJC artists Fury Young started writing to on the inside, EL BENTLY 448 submitted several songs for the og Die Jim Crow album idea. Though we never gained access to record him inside, EL BE was able to record on his own INNOCENT BORN GUILTY…
“Benson looks at his time in prison as a catalyst for growth..part of his hero’s journey..a man who found the power to free himself of both physical and mental slavery behind bars.” - The Detroit Metro Times
”From tragedy to triumph..Benson shares his story of overcoming through music.” - The Flint Courier
“I have emerged from the tomb of prison with this message,” says EL BENTLY 448, whose given name is Leon Benson.
In 1999, as the world rushed towards a new millennium and Y2K, what many thought would be a global apocalypse, Benson was facing his own personal calamity. He was 22 years-old, and had just been sentenced to sixty years in the Indiana prison system for a murder he did not commit.
Now, twenty-five years later as an exonerated man, EL BENTLY 448 shares his survivor’s journey on INNOCENT BORN GUILTY, an explosive Hip-Hop record full of poetry, philosophy, world history, and inspired by Black-led social justice movements. On the date of the album’s release, true-crime podcast Suspect, the hit series with over 30 million downloads, will premier its third season on Amazon Music, entirely focused on Benson’s case.
Musically, EL BENTLY 448 is a prophetic lyricist and uniquely emotional performer, capturing the radical energy of artists such as 2Pac or DMX. His music is a score for exoneration, a soundtrack for freedom fighters, and a call to action for those unjustly incarcerated.
