jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy Part 2 review – Sophomore instalment of doc-series is riveting

3.5/5

Act 1: vision chronicled Kanye West’s desperation to break out of his producer image so that he’s taken seriously as a rapper. His determination finally results in a breakthrough – a lucrative record deal – until a deathly car crash puts him in hospital. But this doesn't deter Kanye from taking this life experience and translating it into a song ‘Through the Wire’, one of the many hits on his debut album College Dropout.

Act 2: purpose sees the Roc-a-fella guys sceptical of what he can do as a rapper; they’re unable to see how he fits in with the label’s image so he’s encouraged to remain in the producer territory. Damon Dash (Jay-Z’s former manager and founder of Roc-a-fella) is rigid on having Kanye create tunes for other artists on the company’s roster — much to Kanye’s resentment, the label of “rapper-producer” is imposed on him, with the producer image taking precedence.

Then in the wake of his accident, the future of his album is also uncertain. It’s nothing short of riveting to watch Kanye eager to let his work out in the world, eager to transform persona. College Dropout did change the hip-hop landscape as his image, his experiences and his sound held no likeness to gangsta rap but were authentic, honest and most importantly, fresh.

Coodie Simmons, the docu-series co-director, narrator and the man behind the camera, provides commentary once again on Kanye’s self-belief, adding his testimony watching Kanye’s transformation unfold. Pharrell Williams, Jamie Foxx, Ludacris also feature in Act 2: purpose, and they seem absolutely floored by Kanye’s abilities. Pharrell seems at a loss of words after Kanye plays him a song, to the point that he has to take a cool-down walk of sorts out of the studio. He returns, with only words of praise, but also reminds him to never be too smug of himself after he attains fame.

This instalment adds colour, sound and emotion to the facts that we already know. The making of Kanye’s College Dropout did not just propel him into the mainstream narrative, but also inspired a different more innovative breed to enter the genre of hip-hop. 

There’s more to Act 2: purpose, than just Kanye’s rise to the top. Simmons, who had voluntarily involved himself in documenting the musician’s every move, had also hoped to reach a stage of recognition. From displaying unending reverence towards his subject, Simmons begins to speak from a place of resentment, as he finds himself steadily put aside. Simmons’ source of indignation is understandable — after all he had been there for Kanye when he was nothing — it is a digression from the topic at hand. However, Simmons notes that the Chicago artist community was so tightly knit that they were always there for each other. There was a sense of loyalty from Kanye that was expected to remain unwavering. 

Vision is an intimate, origin story of Kanye West, while Purpose is about the difficulties he faced to make himself heard, and the ripple effect of that into his life and the ones tied to him. These two chapters have been a thrilling throwback in their own ways. 

Part 2 of Jeehn-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy is streaming on Netflix.