Kanye West’s documentary, JEEN-YUHS, reveals everything about the rapper’s claim to fame and his not-so-easy pursuit to get his foot in the doors of major record labels. 

Act II of Kanye West’s three-part Netflix documentary “Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy” was released on Wednesday February 23^rd. It showcases another 90-minute chapter of Kanye’s journey as an up-and-coming producer-turned-rapper. I personally dislike spoilers, so I will not reveal all the details about the documentary. However, I will let you know what to expect before watching for yourselves. 

Based on what I have seen so far, I am remarkably impressed. I know that Kanye is not everyone’s favorite celebrity at the moment, due to his public outrage concerning Kim Kardashian, Pete Davidson, and other affiliates. Be that as it may, the documentary takes you back to where it all began and allows you to understand who Kanye West truly is. The team behind the magic is Coodie & Chike, who have supported Kanye since the very beginning. In fact, Coodie prefers to be the voice behind the screen, as he narrates the documentary, taking you back to their hometown of Chicago. 

The first thing that struck me was the dated footage being shown. It was extraordinary witnessing Kanye’s earliest moments before the stardom; he worked hard to produce a new sound of music for many rappers in the industry. Upon Coodie’s first encounters with West, he already saw his talent and potential. Therefore, he decided to record every moment he had with Kanye. He even stopped everything to uproot his life and move to New York where Kanye West was working tirelessly to receive a record deal. Somehow, he was able to archive all of this footage which is now being presented as a complete masterpiece. 

Kanye was a lot humbler then, accepting any opportunities he could get in order to be seen and heard. To him, all publicity was good publicity. Because of  his incredible efforts as a producer, he was even credited for working with Jay-Z on the earlier tracks for his project, “The Blueprint.” At the time, he was most proud of his efforts towards the popular hit, “Izzo (H.O.V.A).” Kanye repeatedly and proudly told the story about their time in the studio. The most significant instance was during his impromptu visit with his mother late one night in Chicago. You witness the joy and fulfillment she embodies as he unveils all of the details about his accomplishments. 

Kanye’s mother, Donda West, seemed to be a great influence on him and his work as she always seemed to support and encourage his talents. The dynamic of their relationship appeared to be playful and supportive as they rapped the lyrics to his songs together and reminisced about his childhood in Chicago. His mother, an English teacher, often pushed him to express himself with words and connected him with some of her past students who were involved in the music industry. Her impact reminded me of my own mother (also an English teacher), and the ways she was able to influence me today as I write this. With that said, the raw footage makes this documentary profoundly authentic as it represents everything that made Kanye West who he is today: An icon, a legend, a mogul, and one of the greatest producers and rappers of All-Time.  The third part to the documentary will be released on March 2^nd and can be streamed on Netflix.