August 2005

Hurricane Katrina made landfall in New Orleans, with the catastrophic failure of federal levees disproportionately devastating the city's Black neighborhoods. The disaster and the slow government response forced a national reckoning with race, class, and infrastructure inequality in America.

Chicago producer and rapper Kanye West released his second album Late Registration, featuring Gold Digger and Diamonds from Sierra Leone. It debuted at number one with 860,000 first-week sales and won the Grammy for Album of the Year.

Barbadian singer Rihanna released her debut album Music of the Sun at age 17, featuring Pon de Replay and introducing one of the most successful recording careers in music history, eventually producing 14 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100.

Barbadian singer Rihanna released her debut album Music of the Sun at age 17, introducing one of the most successful recording careers in music history, eventually producing 14 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100.