​ Ode to History: Landon Battles Releases New Video for “Ota Benga”

[Lisa Deez]

Back at it again with thought provoking, culturally rooted music, Landon Battles has released his new video for the single “Ota Benga”. The song tells the historic tale of the man Ota Benga, an African descendant of the Congo who, after returning from a hunting trip to find his people, including his wife and children, murdered by Belgian King Leopold II. He was relocated to America and put on display at the Bronx Zoo and other national sites, labeling him as Africa’s “Missing Link”, the unknown species scientist once considered as the connection between man and ape.

Landon Battles tells the story of Ota Benga with a tone that reflects the losses he suffered, the oppressive state he was forced to live in in America, as well as the tragic ending of his life. The rapper takes us through the journey of Ota Benga from the Congo to the U.S., and gives the perfect correlation of that and the oppressive circumstances circulating present day media.

WATCH OTA BENGA VIDEO HERE:

SOCIAL MEDIA: @LandonBattles