New Netflix documentary “Jeen-Yuhs” aims to recontextualize Kanye West’s rise to fame and current controversies. PHOTO CREDIT: Netflix Media Center.
Kanye West, or simply Ye, is a name that is easily recognizable today, but it was not always like this for West, who built his career from almost nothing.
Netflix recently released a three-part docu-series “Jeen-Yuhs,” which shows new facets to West that aren’t shown anymore. Over the past several years, West has gained a reputation for his bizarre behavior.
Act I of the trilogy encapsulates a 20-year-old West navigating the music industry with the help of other aspiring rappers and producers. Act II follows West as his rise to fame leads to record deals, climbing the billboard charts and winning Grammy awards. Act III concludes with the death of West’s mother and how he coped with this grief afterward.
Clarence “Coodie” Simmons Jr., the narrator and filmmaker of the documentary, left his career in motion graphic designing behind in order to record West. For Simmons, this series is more than just a documentary, but a personal project that also shows his and West’s friendship.
In light of recent events with West, such as objecting to Kim Kardashian’s divorce petition and his most recent disturbing video, which shows someone resembling Kardashian’s new partner Pete Davidson, being kidnapped and decapitated, the documentary gives more insight into his personality.
After watching the three-part series, I developed a different perspective on West. Not only did he face constant rejection and betrayal from artists he thought he could trust, but he lost his biggest supporter and mother, Donda West.
West’s mother always pushed him to be the greatest he could be in whatever it was he set his mind to. The relationship between them was strong and filled with love and spirituality.
Losing a parent is a traumatic experience in itself and West continues to blame himself for her passing. Donda West died from coronary artery disease and multiple post-operative factors from cosmetic surgery in 2007, which Ye paid for.
This documentary shows his work ethic and drive to be the best rapper, producer and fashion designer he dreamed of becoming. However, I believe the unexpected death of his mother deteriorated his mental health. I can only imagine being a celebrity whose life is constantly scrutinized did not help either.
Even though I was able to empathize with West and get a better understanding of who he is, some of his actions and words, especially in the past few weeks, cannot be justified. For instance, the disturbing video previously mentioned
Additionally, West has made direct comments to Davidson via Instagram posts and even revealed personal text messages between the two. West is creating conflict over social media and some of his fans support him which in turn could cause harm to Davidson and Kardashian.
I think the documentary serves well in showing how mental health can be severely impacted when people become famous.
It is amazing to see how filming a person for an extended period of time can show you their emotions when no one else is looking. Witnessing the changes in his emotional and physical wellbeing is quite disheartening when watching the series in its entirety.
If you’re interested in learning more about who West is as a person and an artist, I would recommend it. It provides viewers with a deeper understanding of him and what he set out to accomplish in his life.
Binge-watch it or pace yourself, but “Jeen-Yuhs,” is definitely worth the watch.