Kanye West docuseries Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy has premiered on Netflix. There are three episodes and they premiere weekly. Clarence “Coodie” Simmons and Chike Ozah are behind the project, which is filmed across two decades.
Netflix calls the series “an intimate and revealing portrait of Kanye West’s experience, showcasing both his formative days trying to break through and his life today as a global brand and artist.”
Covering 21 years of West’s life, Jeen-Yuhs shows him producing for Jay-Z, fighting for a record deal, winning 22 Grammys and emerging as a controversial figure in pop culture.
Simmons and Ozah, who are referred to as Coodie & Chike, have worked on West’s music videos in the past. They direct and produce Jeen-Yuhs. Jay-Z, Jamie Foxx, Common, Mos Def, Scarface and Beyonce are among the pop figures who offer their perspective.
The first episode, known as Act 1, is 89 minutes. Act 1 is called “Vision”, Act II is “Purpose” and Act III is “Awakening.”
Simmons has compared Jeen-Yuhs to 1994 basketball documentary Hoop Dreams. “I was like, man, what if I did a Hoop Dreams on Kanye?” he said. “I knew his style somewhat didn’t fit with the rappers back then. It was different. But I knew he was going to do something great.”
The docuseries comes from Time Studios and Creative Control. ■
