How New Orleans, Louisiana Rapper Allay Earhart Turned a Katrina Photo of Himself Into the Cover of '2005'

New Orleans, Louisiana rapper Allay Earhart put his own childhood on the cover of his 2005 album. The image is a New York Daily News photo by Michael Appleton, taken outside the Superdome on Sept. 1, 2005, showing 9-year-old Alvin Harris, dehydrated, in his father's arms days after Hurricane Katrina.

The album uses a cropped version. The full image shows his father, Alvin "6th Ward Pook" Williams, carrying him past a row of armed National Guardsmen as the family tried to leave the city without being separated, the New Orleans Public Library reported.

A name with weight

Harris grew up in the Calliope projects. "I grew up in the Calliope projects, which is split down the middle by Earhart Boulevard," he told the library.

The stage name carries a second meaning. He took it from his cousin, Sadiki Navarre, who was murdered on that street in 2013.

The rapper who works at the library

Harris now works at the New Orleans Public Library, where a photo caption identifies him as a library associate. His path there ran through Crescent City Sounds, the library's free streaming platform for local music, which library associate Joshua Smith has led since its 2022 launch. Harris was a regular patron who noticed flyers for the service, and curators picked his 2022 album Great Habits, Great Heights in the platform's second submission round in 2023.

The library said it would celebrate 2005 with a release party at the Fillmore on Aug. 29, 2025, the 20th anniversary of the storm and his 29th birthday. "This album means a lot to me. It's all about living in New Orleans before Katrina, and how 2005 really changed everything," he told the library.

Beyond the booth

WWOZ's artist profile says he was raised by young teenage parents and faced hardships including homelessness, gun violence, and police brutality as a child, and that witnessing the success of Master P and No Limit Records inspired him to pursue music.

He runs VäKú L.L.C., a collective that supports local communities, and WWOZ says his VAKU brand co-sponsored the Nola Caribbean Fest and the Jerk Chicken Festival. In 2024, Mayor LaToya Cantrell gave him a Certificate of Recognition, according to WWOZ.

His stage history includes opening for Lil Wayne and Mac Phipps at the House of Blues and performing on the Coca-Cola stage at Essence Festival. He is a graduate of James Fauntleroy's 1500 Sound Academy, founded a music tech company to help independent artists, and is developing Montralize, an app meant to help artists earn sustainable income. He is also part of Metronome, the music business accelerator run by GNO Inc. and IdeaVillage. His songs have aired on WWOZ 90.7 FM, Q93, WHIV 102.3 and WBOK 1230 AM.

Where to listen and follow

His 2022 album Great Habits, Great Heights streams free on the New Orleans Public Library's Crescent City Sounds platform.

Sources

New Orleans Public Library — "Meet Allay Earhart: Rapper, Library Worker, and Crescent City Sounds Artist"
WWOZ — "Allay Earhart"