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Kanye West · S4 E4
George Bush Doesn't Care About Black People
September 2005. Live television. The moment Kanye can't take back
NBC Studios, September 2, 2005. Kanye West stands next to Mike Myers on a live telethon for Hurricane Katrina relief, a teleprompter scrolling in front of them, and starts saying things that are not on it.
Kanye West on NBC's "A Concert for Hurricane Relief" (September 2, 2005). The teleprompter is rolling, Mike Myers is reading his lines, and Kanye goes completely off-script. What follows is one of the most famous moments in live television history.
The Setup
Hurricane Katrina hits the Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005, and the federal response is catastrophic. Thousands are stranded in New Orleans, disproportionately Black and poor, while cameras broadcast their suffering to the world. NBC organizes "A Concert for Hurricane Relief" and asks celebrities to read scripted appeals for donations.
Lower Ninth Ward, New Orleans
The neighborhood that became the symbol of Hurricane Katrina's devastation and the failure of the federal response. When Kanye spoke on live television, this is the community he was talking about.
TAP TO REVEAL: What happened in the control room when Kanye went off-script?
The Fallout
The clip splits the country overnight. Five years later, George W. Bush tells Matt Lauer it was "one of the most disgusting moments" of his presidency, ranking a rapper's six words alongside the weight of wartime decisions. For Kanye, the moment becomes both a badge of honor and a permanent stain, depending on who tells the story.
What was the name of the NBC broadcast where Kanye made his famous statement?
Bring Me Down ft. Brandy, Kanye West
Released on Late Registration the same month as the Katrina telethon. Kanye raps about people wanting to see him fail, with Brandy's hook insisting nothing can bring him down. After the firestorm of the telethon, the song takes on a completely different weight.
The telethon makes Kanye the most controversial figure in music. He responds by walking into a studio with a Daft Punk sample, an Auto-Tune filter, and an idea that will reshape pop-rap for the next decade.
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