Warning: this post contains mentions of suicide and suicidal thoughts.
Netflix released Act 1 of Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy today, a documentary about Kanye West's journey to fame that was filmed over the course of 21 years.
The documentary gives viewers an inside look into some of Kanye's biggest life decisions, as well as a peek into his years-long struggle with mental health.
In Act 3, which will be released on March 2, Jeen-Yuhs director and narrator Clarence "Coodie" Simmons opened up about when he first noticed Kanye's mental health declining, shortly after the death of his mother, Donda, in 2007.
"I could tell Kanye was grieving, but he kept working. He refused to stop," he said, according to People. "[Four months later] he didn't seem like the same Kanye. We hardly even spoke."
Act 1 of the Kanye Trilogy documents Kanye's close relationship with his mother, Donda, and how she inspired and supported much of his career.
Kanye visited his mother frequently in Chicago and updated her on his music journey. "Kanye was always self-absorbed in a way," Donda said in Act 1.
In 2016, Kanye was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and his mental health became very much a public conversation when he was forced to cancel his Saint Pablo tour after being hospitalized for sleep deprivation and exhaustion.
In the documentary, Kanye reportedly tells Kid Cudi that he'd been struggling with suicidal thoughts. "Even me, when I already had the house and the wife and the kids and the plaques," he reportedly shares in Act 3. "I would still have moments where I felt, like, suicidal, would still have moments where I'm addicted to Percocets and don't even realize it — you know what I'm saying?"
Clarence reflected on how "difficult" it was to watch Kanye struggle in the public eye. "It was difficult watching Kanye on TV knowing he had issues with his mental health," he said. "They were calling him crazy, but to me it seemed like he was crying out for help."
At one point, Clarence even admits he turned the camera off because it didn't "feel right" to film Kanye in such a vulnerable state. "I had never captured this side of Kanye before and it just didn't feel right to keep filming, so I cut the camera off."
In Jeen-Yuhs, Clarence says that documenting and witnessing Kanye's struggles with mental health has been a "new awakening." "What I'm realizing now is every part of Kanye makes him who he is," he said.
