Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy Act I review - An intimate glimpse into the life of Ye 

Still from Netflix's Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy (Image via Netflix)
Still from Netflix's Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy (Image via Netflix)

The highly-anticipated documentary, Jeen-yuhs, based on the notorious but iconic mogul Kanye West, has finally hit Netflix.

Directed by Coodie & Chike (Clarence Simmons Jr. and Chike Ozah), the film is a compilation of footage from 1998 and 2002, capturing Kanye's struggles and rise to stardom.

Act I: VISION premiered this week and will be followed by two more parts in the upcoming weeks.

Note: This article contains spoilers and reflects the opinion of the writer.


'Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy Act I' review

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Kanye West is not just known for his brilliant music and massive business ventures, but also for his controversial statements and acrions.

From interrupting Taylor Swift's award speech, telling the world that George Bush did not care about black people, supporting Donald Trump, saying black slaves chose slavery, to his infamous posts on Instagram about his personal life, he might have been a reciepient of cancel culture, if not for his music.


Ye's vision

His documentary, Jeen-yuhs, gives viewers a glimpse into his life. The three-part documentary is surprisingly genuine, touching, and gives a very raw look into the early stages of Kanye West's music career.

Directors Coodie and Chike have been filming Kanye for nearly two decades and the first part of Jeen-yuhs, Act 1: VISION sheds light on his early days as a producer.

Jeen-yuhs’s style of cinematography is incredibly intimate and consistent, while following Ye on his journey to rise above all the musicians he worked for and become a headlining name.

Before an early MTV interview, Kanye said:

"America, you'll have to see me. You got to get used to this face."

Making room for himself

What Jeen-yuhs highlights the most is hindsight as an aspect. When Kanye rose to fame as a producer, no record label wanted to take him in as a rapper. The documentary sheds light on the inspiring and underdog angle.

Kanye made room for himself in the industry and aligned his own stars despite being belittled by others.

This very aspect of Jeen-yuhs makes the most incredible scenes feel authentic and exciting. It felt surreal to see Kanye walk around from room to room in the offices of Jay-Z's music label, Roc-A-Fella Records, just to get noticed.

The rejection he got for All Falls Down now seems funny, as the song has 58 million views on YouTube.


Donda's support

The film has documented everything and captured the reactions of others during the beginning of Kanye's stardom, all from over Kanye's shoulder. Like his usual self, the rapper can be seen spotting off his philosophies and opinions constantly, thriving in the magnetic presence he holds.

His buoyantly confident persona prevents him from holding anything back, while also bordering on arrogance and narcissim.

The appearances made by Kanye West's mother, Donda West, throughout the film, are the real highlights of the documentary. The way the film captured the closeness between Kanye and his mother, while elaborating on how supportive and authentically honest she is and how he is enamored with her wisdom and affection, provides a beautiful foundation to Kanye's journey.


Journey to the top

Coodie & Chike have had constant access to Kanye's life, from his mother to his time in the studio. With brilliant editing, the two pieced together arbitrary moments into a stronger linear narrative with hours and hours of archival footage.

The film was inspired by Hoop Dreams and Coodie's narration, which tied together and constructed the entire film.

The only thing Jeen-yuhs suffers from is the week-long gap between each installment, which might make viewers loose interest in everything Coodie & Chike have worked so hard to develop. All-in-all, the documentary may be an incredible success as it's just getting started.

Jeen-yuhs is now streaming on Netflix.

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Edited by Saman
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