The final episode of Coodie Rocks’ Jeen-Yuhs docu-series, showing the rise of hip-hop legend Kanye West, dropped with much anticipation on Netflix. The 3-part series has been as inspirational as it is eye-opening, showing that Ye is more than his tweets.
Throughout Jeen-Yuhs, we see Ye transform from this struggling local producer, a process that took time. He was loved but also disregarded as nothing more than that, a producer. We get to see how hard he had to work to get to where he is today. From renting studio time to renting super domes. Kanye West to Ye. That boy from the crib in Chicago not only “made it out,” but he changed the game – both in music and fashion as a complete pop culture icon. Love him or hate him, crazy or not, Ye is a Jeen-Yuhs.
act i: VISION
Act i of Jeen-Yuhs, titled “VISION,” lays down the foundation of Ye and Coodie’s story: two dudes in Chicago trying to make it big doing their thing. Kanye was making beats and buzzing in the local streets with Coodie and his Channel Zero productions covering the who’s who and what’s what of those same streets. Of course, Coodie had heard about Kanye, and after meeting him a few times he knew there was “just something different about Kanye.”
Photo via theindependent.co.uk
So, after linking up with Ye a bit and giving it some thought, he begins filming everything he can of Kanye’s life, focusing completely on him and following him with a camera everywhere. Eventually, he decided to move to New York with Kanye and while things do look good at times, Kanye is still struggling to get respect as a rapper from labels as he looks to get signed.
Iconic Moment:
Seeing Kanye and his crew bum rush Roc-A-Fella looking to get signed; going into the office of executives, marketing managers, and really, anyone who would listen. They played them classics such as “All Falls Down,” just to be basically patted on the back and disregarded as an after thought.
act ii: PURPOSE
By the end of act i: VISION, Kanye had gotten his deal with Roc-A-Fella but was still being looked over as a “rapper-producer.” He tried to beat that stigma and even told people straight up that he does not rock with that title. But still, no matter how persistent, he continues to get passed up by the likes of Peedi Crakk – a no-name today.
This could discourage the most talented of people, and understandably so. Being so close and right where you “should” be, but feeling further away from your goals than ever. But not Kanye, he stayed working and instead of complaining, went to work with Peedi and stayed around the energy. He took his opportunities as they came and made the most of them. We finally see him get in to the studio with Jay-Z where they make the classic hit “The Bounce.” And this is possibly the moment when Hov realized the diamond in the rough he had discovered in Kanye West, truly launching Kanye West’s endeavors as a rapper and not just a producer.
Photo via vaguevisages.com
Of course, we always seem to fall when we are at our greatest of heights and right on cue, Kanye West’s life came crashing right back down with his infamous car accident that caused his mouth to be wired shut. But, in true Kanye West fashion, this almost career, and life-ending, accident turned into a a big W. Using the opportunity to record one of his most popular tracks to date, “Through The Wire.”
Ending on a high note, act ii closes out with Kanye winning his Grammy, finally reaching what seemed to be the top of the mountain. But, Coodie alludes to some infamous actions that lead to building the common narrative on Kanye that we have today.
Iconic Moment:
Kanye playing “Through The Wire” for Pharrell Williams, blowing Pharrell away so much so that he had to leave the studio. When he comes back, he delivers one of the most inspirational and heart felt moments of the series. He tells Kanye to never give up and to keep the same perspective when he makes it. He also gave him the highest of praises saying that Kanye is one of his favorite artists.
act iii: AWAKENING
At the top of his game, Kanye is out doing all of the shows, preforming on Oprah and winning another Grammy for his sophomore album, Late Registration. We see just how important his mother, Donda, was to him, leaving her parenting duties behind to become a sort of business manager for Ye. Sadly, this is also where we had to say goodbye to the Queen and light of Kanye’s life. It was easy to see throughout the entire docu-series how important Kanye’s mother was and still is to him. So, losing her created a world of unknowns not only for Ye, but for those around him as well.
Refusing to stop, Kanye continues working and goes on his Glow In The Dark tour. Months later, when Kanye and Coodie get a chance to link up again, Coodie begins to notice the changes in Kanye; even going as far as feeling “unwelcomed” when he was filming a recording session. Their relationship was changing. But when Kanye asks Coodie to turn off the camera, something he had never done before, it was like blowing out a candle. And that flame would stay out for six years.
Photo via @coodierock IG
In those six years, the Ye that we know today was slowly created. Kanye always says what is on his mind and maybe it was just the presence of more cameras, but he seemed to be getting less and less filtered. Take for example, the Taylor Swift “imma let you finish” moment, hot take interviews, and Twitter rants. But all of this was bundled with a musical genius that people could not deny. Kanye and Coodie finally linked back up at Common’s 2014 AAHH! Fest by chance.
A Story Without an Ending
From here, the rest is history. Being at the A-List status he is, Kanye’s life has become daily news. He has more than just Coodie’s camera on him, and now, the whole world is watching. We relive his momentary fall from grace, getting sent to psychiatric treatment and opening the door to mental health issues. But with this, came his rise back to the top and his journey of finding inner-peace and a sense of self. We may never know where Kanye truly stands mentally. But, we know where he stands in the analogs of hip-hop history: a Jeen-Yuhs.
Iconic Moment:
There wasn’t one moment that stood on its own in this episode. Instead it felt more like an explanation for some of Kanye’s past behaviors. One point that was strongly made, not only in this episode but the entire series, was the importance of Ye’s mother. She was there for him spiritually, emotionally, and business-wise. Anything he needed, Donda was there for him, and the weight of her passing resonated through the screen. RIP Donda, we owe you and all of our mothers a resounding “thank you.”
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