It isn’t necessary to be a Kanye West fan to appreciate or enjoy the new three-part Netflix documentary “jeen-yuhs” — and these days it’s more understandable if you aren’t — but it helps.
No one has done more in the last several years to harm West’s reputation than West himself, but it will undoubtedly help the viewing experience to possess a degree of admiration for his accomplishments — or even just an ounce of empathy for his complex, contradictory, polarizing humanity — especially since co-directors Coodie and Chike do a more than serviceable job reminding their potential audience that for better or worse, just like everyone else, West is some mother’s son.
The first chapter of “jeen-yuhs,” “Act 1: Vision,” showcases the intimacy of the filmmakers’ connection to West and provides a context for documenting his journey. Even though their affection for West sometimes overrides their instincts as storytellers and editors, the film is a rare glimpse into the formative moments of his life and career.
Coodie was born Clarence Simmons Jr. and hosted the Chicago cable access show. “Channel Zero” (named after Public Enemy’s “She Watch Channel Zero”In the 1990s, West was a hip-hop producer and idolized by local MCs. At the time, such dreams were virtually impossible to make a reality within the hip-hop community, but Coodie saw West’s potential as a star, so he decided to keep his camera trained on the young artist’s journey, from his mother Donda’s kitchen to recording studios where he would make hits for Scarface, Jay-Z, Mos Def and others.
“Vision”Also, Coodie charts the evolution and rise of Chicago hip-hop in a time where New York and California were both the top destinations from which to rap artists. Coodie captures seemingly every Chicago artist that went on to break nationally, from Twista to Common to Rhymefest — but what’s interesting is how virtually all of them sing West’s praises rather than their own. Mind you, it’s a documentary about him, so of course their comments have been either pared down to spotlight West’s prodigious impact on that scene or scrubbed of braggadocio about themselves. Still, it’s immediately clear that Kanye possessed something that set him apart from his contemporaries, even as he tried to keep pace with their successes (or turn theirs, with his beats, to his own, with his rhymes).
The fact that the chapter opens with West rapping at a villa in the Dominican Republic in 2020 suggests that the documentary will trace the artist from his career’s infancy to him at his most culturally irritating, but by the end of “Vision,”West has not been signed to any record deals. That’s an intriguing choice for viewers that may be on the fence about whether or not to continue, but it’s not one that entirely serves “jeen-yuhs”As a whole entity.
It’s certainly fascinating to watch West be one of a scrum of people shuffling through a label-hosted birthday party for Jay-Z, waiting for his opportunity to shake the hand of the rapper for whom he produced “Izzo (H.O.V.A.).” And it’s almost sad to see West be the “guy behind the guy,”Moving from one office in Def Jam to the next “All Falls Down”He tried to convince someone to sign him.
But where Coodie and Chike (the latter of whom wasn’t really a part of the rapper’s life until Coodie met him at MTV in 2002) excel at humanizing West is in the juxtaposition of that earnest hustle with his mother’s advocacy for him — shown in her knowledge of his lyrics, her indefatigable belief in his success — and her adorably maternal nurturing of him as he navigates a frequently treacherous business. You get to understand his character, and where it came from — at the beginning, a “fake it ‘til you make it”Mama instilled this attitude and she guided him to success with determination and talent. This talent was still very raw at that stage in his life. In retrospect, however, it seems completely undisputed.
Is Kanye West really the only person who needs a seven-hour documentary? Only Acts II & III will reveal the truth. But “jeen-yuhs”It gives both his fans as well as critics a different perspective on the artist than any other. That doesn’t mean the perspective isn’t generous, or even complimentary. Coodie’s voiceover describing his feelings for the young rapper (from the moment they met) is nothing but kind, encouraging, patient and compassionate.
But if you’re a ‘90s hip-hop fan looking for a little unvarnished truth about the industry at that time, or a sucker for stories about artistic struggle, or, yeah, a Kanye West fan, this certainly delivers the goods and then some. Although West might not have been able ot land on his own artistic growth and the documentary may not, “jeen-yuhs”It is as promising as the subject at the beginning. That makes it well worth exploring.
“jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy,”Netflix premieres Act I on February 16.