The Never-Ending Relevancy of Kanye West “Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy” Review

Experience the evolution of Kanye West’s career and life unfold. This three-episode series gives new insight to fans and nonfans of the vital moments Kanye encountered to reach the level of fame and relevance he continues to have as an artist and as a person serving as a great conversation starter for viewing artists not only for their projects but as human beings.

Prelude: Coodie The Camerman

Kanye West in regard is rightfully responsible for the success of his own career through his own work ethic and endless grit. But Coodie, the videographer who captured nearly all of the footage we see of Kanye in this documentary is the only reason we are able to see behind the curtain and witness the rollercoaster of Kanye’s career unfold through the years. Having original footage that is directly linked to a personal connection with Kanye impacts the overall authenticity of insight we are gaining into Kanye not only as an artist but as a person who Kanye was around his friends and family.

Had this relationship between the two never existed we would have limited footage of the many moments that shaped Kanye’s life. The insight this footage provides is next level as it serves as a reminder that Kanye always had unbelievable self-confidence from the start of his career. With that being said, Coodie, the Chicago native, has made an incredible contribution to Kanye and fans of Kanye by allowing us glimpses into the origins and transformation of Mr. West.

Part One: “Act 1: Vision”

The beginning of his blossoming career and relevancy in the first episode “act i: VISION” is very fitting for the new sights fans and nonfans will get from the three-episode series. The footage takes us back to the start of his career and radiates the universal struggle of trying to gain exposure for oneself in any setting. The series’s steady narration by Coodie accompanied by sharp cuts into Kanye’s past never fails to make sure the audience understands the dynamic mental struggle Kanye has throughout his journey to success. Here, we are exposed to the genesis of Kanye’s career by starting with his upbringing along with Coodie’s early career development from documenting Kanye. Coodie was originally a stand-up comedian who became an interviewer for a local Chicago hip hop interview show called “Channel Zero” which led to the first-ever meeting between himself and Kanye.

We see early signs of Kanye’s impulsivity and hunger to grow and gain exposure by ‘bum rushing’ record label offices and playing his music for them in hopes of getting signed. The footage of these events and various others that happen are just fascinating and really take you back to the times of the early 2000s. The same energy we see here is what’s helped catapult his career and success to where it’s currently at now. Along with his career, we see the Chicago Hip Hop scene and Kanye’s embracement of the city he grew up in.

We see his efforts to put his fellow Chicago-based artists, talents, and individuals on the scene all while also trying to gain his own exposure. This is another glimpse into his effort and commitment to pay homage to his hometown and generate success for himself and his community. Artists outside of Chicago also show praise and respect towards Kanye and the Chicago scene such as Jay-Z, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, and Scarface just to name a few. Jay-Z’s role in Kon Man’s career served as early signs of success after producing “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” on Jay-Z’s The Blueprint. That kind of success would only continue to grow as he achieves a record label deal with Roc-a-fella Records by the end of this episode.

Part Two: “Act 2: Purpose”

While the record label deal was huge for his career he still struggled to be accepted as a rapper. Through the footage presented, it seems he is sidelined and not fully recognized for the solo project he is working on and is instead only being talked about for his abilities as a producer. So in order to go away from this kind of recognition he makes it known through endless efforts going around different studios to gain feedback on his music forcing other artists to acknowledge how serious he is about his rapping career. These efforts are then quickly put to a halt after facing a fatal car accident.

After experiencing the crash and suffering a broken jaw we see the determination and hunger he has to complete producing his first album “The College Dropout.” Again Coodie is here to thank as well as the many artists and workers who allowed themselves to be recorded on camera. We are shown footage in which Kanye gets his jaw examined by dental experts as well as some of the procedures he had to face while his injuries healed. While undergoing these check-ups he also continues to work on his music and most notably writes the song “Through The Wire” which encapsulates his perspective of pain and the reflections and realizations he made while nearly facing death after his car accident.

To view, these moments and memories of his life are truly an extraordinary sight and can even be influential. Without missing a beat, we are able to get a glimpse ‘behind the curtain’ and truly see the mental health battle and challenge that can come with wanting to succeed. This whole scenario embodies the sense of purpose he found in himself ultimately demonstrating that hard work pays off as we see the amount of work that went into producing The College Dropout. The fact that Kanye continued to work on this project despite this life-changing moment, is a testament to the hunger and determination he had within himself to succeed and reach his goals. The accident would serve as one of the first major obstacles he’d face for years to come.

The final minutes of the episode conclude with Kanye accepting his Grammy Award for ‘Best Rap Album’ in 2005 where he infamously states’ “Everbody wanted to know what I would do if I didn’t win. I guess we’ll never know.”

Part Three: “Act 3: Awakening”

In the third and final episode entitled “act iii: Awakening” we see the birth of many variations of Kanye. We see the impact his mother, Donda played such an essential role in allowing him to be hungry and stay humble, and the struggle to stay true to himself and transform himself after her passing. She would really invest herself in what her son was up to musically and he was more than willing to share his experiences with her because part of his hunger wasn’t just to bring himself but also to bring up his Mother. Most notably we see his “Hey Mama” on the Oprah show which served as a beautiful tribute and moment to praise Donda on a televised show. But this loving version of Kanye would soon transform after having to accept the passing of his mother, while still remaining relevant despite facing this shocking news.

The episode brings out some of the most emotional and painful moments Kanye faced after receiving the news of his mother passing away in the midst of his blooming career. To an extent, viewers can empathize with the loss and battles he experienced but also internally debate how impactful these events were and whether or not they are also the reasons he found himself in controversies and openly tackling mental health. Coodie’s narration of the event along with a recording showing Kanye and Donda singing along to “Hey Mama” completely demonstrated the loving relationship they had only adding emphasis to how painful and life-altering this moment in Kanye’s life was. Once again we’d see Kanye’s process of acceptance and self-determination to still push toward his goals and dreams despite facing the death of his mother.

We see footage of him continuing his tours while tirelessly distracting himself with work and developing new music. As a viewer one can only imagine that music was not only Kanye’s outlet for success but also a coping mechanism to overcome his grief. During this period as an artist, Kanye still released projects such as “808s and Heartbreaks” which was experimental in sound and a testament to where Kanye was mentally and once again showcasing this theme of openness in his music. The state of mind he was emotionally in was broadcasted publicly as the albums he produced during this time would contain confessions and rants of what problems he was facing. During this time he and Coodie had split apart leaving a gap between 2008-2014 where Coodie raised his children and Kanye made headlines for his music, fashion pursuits, and impulsive acts.

Taylor Swift

Most notably, he interrupted Taylor Swift during her acceptance speech at an award show along with previously referring to George Bush as being the Devil during a televised charity event. But despite these controversies, we’d see the reunion between him and Coodie. To once again follow into the revitalization of relevancy to grow for him as he transformed and reascended as Yeezy. 

The rebranding of Kanye would be at its biggest throughout 2016 when he would launch his fashion line simultaneously with the release of his album “The Life of Pablo.” The album offered a new sound that his fans received with open arms and led to new fans hopping on to support him. The success would then be bombarded by his impulsive actions as he would go on tour and sometimes go on rants relating to politics and making remarks about slavery.

Life Of Pablo

For example, during his Life of Pablo concert on November 19th, 2016 he went on a political rant and openly expressed his support for Donald Trump. After this incident, the rest of his concert tours were canceled. He would find himself being hospitalized and diagnosed as psychotic where there would ultimately be a break in his story and many questioned if he’d recover from this event. This side of Kanye also adds to the internal debate viewers can have on Kanye as a person and artist and question their stance on him as the docuseries openly displays his controversies.

From this break, we would see another revitalization of Kanye’s career that would be an extension of the work he was previously doing after the success of “The Life of Pablo.” Yeezy would transform into Ye and address his mental health in his 2018 project “ye.” Seeing this footage once again highlights the state of mind and transitions Kanye went through in order to succeed and continue to release his music. The album expressed how he wasn’t afraid to speak about his mental struggles and instead embraced them in the form of music and with this came transformations to his sound overall. This self-growth and cleansing would lead to him rediscovering his beliefs in God and Christianity.

That rediscovery would lead to his Sunday Service live performances that were open to the public and garnished attention showcasing his faith. This religious side would influence the production of his 2019 project “JESUS IS KING.” Self-expression through music then translated to self-expression through his clothing turning the fashion scene into another outlet for coping and success. That being the continuation of his sneakers and clothing line with Adidas and GAP while continuously working on music. We also see footage of him designing the Adidas Yeezy 700 and how the shoe’s chunky design was a reference to his struggles with body dysmorphia. This success came in large thanks to his loyal and supportive fans who’ve continued to follow him.

The Genius Of “Jeen-Yuhs”

If we look at his career there are so many controversial scenarios that people wouldn’t openly embrace or agree with. Such as openly expressing political views and making questionable statements on race. Fans’ and nonfans’ opinions of him would be automatically swayed. This divide between fans’ beliefs and their appreciation for his music opens up the discussion of fans separating the artist from the art and whether or not they can still listen to his music, wear his clothing, or support him in any kind of way. But aside from the fans, it opens up the discussion of his mental health and his ways of fighting personal demons but also overcoming and embracing his manic episodes.

While having these episodes he also normalizes struggling with mental health and shining light on the impact it can have on his life and anybody’s life as we all have faced our own trials and tribulations. The number of obstacles he’s overcome and to still be able to release music and be successful demonstrates the hunger he’s always had and the energy he radiates and continues to release. His latest album “Donda” would serve as a tribute to his mother, gospel elements, his current state of mind, and reignite his relevancy generating new fans and keeping his legacy afloat. The world of social media also made it easier for him to have an outlet and instantaneously reveal to the world the problems he was facing.

Most recently feuding with actor/comedian Pete Davidson after his ex-wife Kim Kardashian began dating him. Again leading to controversy and dividing fans because of second-hand embarrassment or gaining fans who encouraged him to reveal more. Whereas other things he’s done do receive positive feedback and are welcomed with open arms. The Free Larry Hoover Benefit Concert in itself was a successful concert that was received both positively and negatively. The December 10th event received backlash as many were against the support of freeing Larry Hoover because of his relationship to the gang scene in Chicago.

Despite the controversies that surround him, he is still able to maintain relevancy through his contributions to fashion and music. Musically he would change the way we purchase music by introducing the Stem Player. The Stem Player created exclusivity since it would be the only way for fans to purchase “Donda 2.” The device also allowed users to isolate and break down different elements of songs all while actively listening redefining how fans could listen to his music.

His influence or homage is often given even while he is not active on social media. Most recently Kendrick Lamar referenced Kanye in his solo return to music in “The Heart Part 5″ where he also references other Black celebrities who have faced scrutiny. This idea of scrutiny and controversy was also deeply embedded into the docuseries and fully displayed, while also just showcasing Kanye as a person. For someone as prominent as Kendrick Lamar to reference Kanye speaks level to the legacy Kanye will continue to have for years to come and the relatability he’s continued to have. Just as “Jeen-Yuhs” implies there really is a ‘genius’ phenomenon to the enigma of Kanye West that is worth viewing on Netflix.