By Brandon Ladd

The new Kanye West (“Donda”) documentary, “Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy,” was released on Netflix on Feb. 16, providing an inside look at the younger years of West’s career as a beats producer and aspiring rapper. 

The documentary is three parts long. The second and third parts will be released on Feb. 23 and March 2, respectively. 

The first part starts in 1998 in Chicago at a birthday party. We are introduced to the documentary director and longtime friend of West, Coodie Simmons (“Benji”). Simmons originally wanted to be an entertainer, but soon found his love of videography was better suited for documentary making. So, he started following West and filmed the major moments of his life. 

The explanation of West’s rise to fame is executed perfectly, as it shows his standing in the hip-hop and rap world as a young producer. This standing is low and he has to constantly keep working at his craft to be considered anything in this industry. He is gifted and was quickly noticed by rap mogul, Jay-Z (“Empire State of Mind”). Jay-Z, who owned rap label Roc-A-Fella Records at the time, rapped over several of West’s beats in his 2001 album, “The Blueprint.” Still, despite being noticed by one of the most powerful executives in the industry and having infinite connections, West is seen wandering the New York City area trying to find a label that will sign him for a record deal. 

It is a nostalgic moment, as we are reintroduced to some of West’s best singles of all time as he shows the different labels his songs. The most comical moment was when West and his team decided to storm Roc-A-Fella Records office in New York City to try to get West exposure on his newly developed music, that he had been crafting in a small apartment in Newark, New Jersey. West started playing “All Falls Down,” a song that would eventually go platinum twice and be his first solo Top 10 Billboard song, in random offices throughout the complex. The workers tried to keep working away, but West then started singing. It got awkward and he eventually left. 

Moments like those kept occurring for West the ensuing year and he travels home at one point to gain perspective from his mother, Donda West, in Chicago. Donda is a powerful figure in West’s life and we are introduced to how much confidence she instilled in her soon-to-be-famous son. This is an amazing look into one of the purest relationships between mother and son that this generation has been allowed to see. The eventual namesake of West’s most recent album is seen as wise yet fun and smiles every interaction she has. She takes in West’s team and treats them like family. 

West eventually gets signed by Jay-Z’s label and the first part of the documentary comes to a close. One of the last scenes was West getting his big moment on stage in Chicago for a concert, where Jay-Z and his label headlined. He brings West out and allows him to get the crowd going before the two embraced for a moment on stage. Simmons elegantly narrates through all these moments and provides context to whatever was occurring. His ability to explain feelings and simply talk through the heartbreaking attempts of West to get noticed made these first 90 minutes of the trilogy. 

This first part of the documentary gave a look into the rise of a soon-to-be successful artist. The downfall of West is nowhere to be seen and makes it emotional to think how different he was before fame. 

Image from Netflix via YouTube