Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy

This documentary is a great pick for West's die-hard fans. But if you're not -- or if your feelings about him have gotten more complicated in response to some of his more questionable/offensive opinions, such as saying that he believes slavery was a choice made by enslaved Africans in America rather than a system that trafficked and isolated enslaved Africans in a myriad of ways -- then Jeen-Yuhs will only remind you of how things were before everything went awry.

While Jeen-Yuhs is a three-part movie/limited series, this review is based on Act 1, which consists largely of home video footage filmed and curated by Coodie and Chike Ozah, who were part of West's inner circle in his early days of success. The two followed West well before he became Ye, as he's known today. Seeing how West was before he found superstardom is both illuminating and depressing, particularly if you're a disappointed former fan -- in which case, watching the documentary might dredge up a lot of complex feelings about West's career. These glimpses of West before he became who we know today (particularly his interactions with his beloved late mother, Donda) are a reminder of the West fans thought they knew: the rapper who bridged the worlds of social consciousness, rap bravado, hipsterism, and street style, bringing so many rap fans from different backgrounds together. In that regard, viewing Jeen-Yuhs can be rewarding. But again, the whole documentary is only truly enthralling for those who are still solidly aboard the Ye train.