Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah, the two directors behind the forthcoming Kanye West documentary jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy, have shared some details about the Netflix project.
The “intimate” three-part film – which was first revealed during Netflix’s livestream TUDUM event back in September – will capture two decades of the rapper’s life and career; it promises to showcase “both his formative days trying to break through and his life today as a global brand and artist”.
Ahead of the documentary’s 2022 premiere, long-time friends and Kanye West collaborators Simmons and Ozah sat down to discuss jeen-yuhs, as well as West’s career trajectory, during Thursday’s (December 2) ‘Netflix Playlist’ showcase.
One part of the sit down hears Simmons recall meeting West – now legally known as Ye – for the first time, when he was a kid coming in for haircuts at a local Chicago barbershop.
“He would come with beats,” Simmons recalls in the clip. “I remember he had the one beat that JAY-Z picked later on in life called H to Izz-O [‘Izzo (H.O.V.A.)’]. Yo, this was so ill. Here was this kid with braces … talented. This dude wasn’t scared of nothing.”
Ozah describes the film is a “whole history lesson of music”. He adds: “We’re crossing generations in three films. At the end, Kanye is collaborating with artists that were babies. But the crazy part is that Kanye’s a throughline; still as relevant at the end as he is in the beginning because his music passes the test of time.”
You can watch the pair discuss jeen-yuhs below:
Earlier this week it was revealed that Kanye West is currently working on a plan to help the homeless population of Los Angeles.
According to TMZ, the rapper has joined forces with philanthropic organisations in a bid to tackle the problem in the California city. It’s said that Ye recently sat down with Reverend Troy Vaughn, CEO of homeless charity LA Mission, to outline four ways he can help.
The rapper and producer wants to continue providing food to homeless people by partnering with various charities in LA. Additionally, he’s looked at using his own companies to provide education, jobs and housing to those in need.