Netflix’s ‘Jeen-Yuhs’ Reminds Us Why We Miss The Old Kanye

Part one of Netflix’s Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy offers an extraordinarily intimate look at Kanye West’s early years, as he struggled to be taken seriously as a rapper during his days as a producer.

Directed by Clarence “Coodie” Simmons, a comedian and TV host who documented Chicago’s hip-hop scene in the 90s, Coodie noticed West’s burning energy and ambition and decided to follow him around with a camera, in the hope that it might pay off later, if West became the superstar he so clearly wanted to be. 

West, of course, is more than happy to be documented – pre-fame Kanye seems to already view himself as a celebrity; the man understood his own potential from the beginning.

It’s impossible to watch this documentary removed from the context of West’s current controversies; the rapper has spent the last few weeks sparking bitter feuds with friends and family members, posting private conversations and veiled threats on Instagram, an increasingly uncomfortable drama that goes way beyond celebrity gossip.

Jeen-Yuhs captures the “Old Kanye” that fans miss so much, a sentiment that West famously referenced in his song, “I love Kanye.” It’s not difficult to see why fans lament the loss of young, upstart Kanye and his infectious enthusiasm – he’s an immensely charming underdog, bursting with confidence without veering into the narcissism that would later taint his image.

Part One is packed with remarkably intimate footage detailing the rise of a superstar, showing how West, an in-demand producer at only 19, with an enormous talent for composing unique beats, faced an uphill battle to have his own music heard.

The documentary is a fascinating look not only at West’s rise to fame, but of the infinite short-sightedness of industry insiders, who never fail to doubt the next big thing.

The head honchos of hip-hop knew what was popular, but had no conception of the future of the industry, how it could change and evolve; West was composing clever lyrics that often focused on the cost, pressure and disappointment of college education, during a time when record labels wanted their artists to cosplay as gun-toting gangsters.

West’s middle-class, nerdy persona simply wasn’t seen as marketable, because it was so radically different from what had come before.

It’s fascinating (and incredibly frustrating) to watch West putting on spontaneous, heartfelt performances for mid-level Roc-A-Fella employees who just couldn’t care less – nobody seems to recognize the potential in West’s music, except West himself, and a few notable supporters. 

There was a reason West succeeded, and it wasn’t just because of his formidable talent; as West himself points out, he was able to fall back on producing if his own album failed, meaning that he didn’t have to cater his art to perceived consumer demands, but was able to follow his own intuition.

West was blessed with financial stability, insider knowledge, and unwavering emotional support from his mother, who appears intimately involved with his music – at one point, the two rap along to West’s lyrics together, Donda seemingly having memorized most of her son’s songs.

As Coodie says in the documentary: “It was easy to see that the confidence he had in himself was because of the confidence Donda had in him.”

The footage of Kanye and Donda West proves poignant, given what we know about their close relationship, and her tragic, untimely death. Donda comes across as a kind, thoughtful woman who doesn’t hesitate to tell her son the truth, even if it hurts; at one point, she warns against his growing ego, stating: “remember, that the giant looks in the mirror and sees nothing.” 

These moments are dampened somewhat by the choice of background music; airy, sentimental notes designed to pull at our heartstrings and emphasize the tragedy of what’s to come, which proves rather heavy-handed, as the raw footage speaks for itself.

Eventually, we see West push through the doubters and sign with Roc-A-Fella as a rapper – Part One ends with a sped-up glimpse at the future, with West’s car accident on the horizon, hinting at the multiple breakdowns, drama and shift towards Trumpism soon to come. It’s a familiar narrative arc for any documentary about an iconic musician, a stratospheric rise followed by a dramatic fall.

Part one of Jeen-Yuhs proves deeply illuminating, not only for Kanye fans, but simply for documenting how difficult it is for a creative visionary to be taken seriously by industry insiders, who are perpetually running towards the place where lightning just struck.

In the case of Kanye West, they couldn’t see the electricity spark right before their eyes.