Kanye West, who now goes by Ye, may be the most polarizing artist of a generation. I remember the first time I listened to Ye. I illegally downloaded some of his earlier mixtapes, Get Well Soon and I'm Good.
When Jeen-Yuhs was released on Netflix, I was beyond energized to dive in. Coodie, a friend of Ye from his teen years, had spent countless hours documenting Ye's rise to the top. This footage was put together for Jeen-Yuhs, a three-part docuseries that shows never-before-seen footage from Kanye's career. As a lifelong fan of Mr. West, I was curious to see what would unfold.
Here are my 24 takeaways after completing the three-part series.
1. It's the most real I've seen Ye talk about feeling suicidal and his addiction to pills. It's a very hard-hitting look at his mental health, being diagnosed bipolar, and his views on reality.
2. Ye is insecure about his weight, but he's honest about it.
3. Ye has always considered himself a genius, even before his career took off.
4. Ye's mother was his EVERYTHING. Her presence in his life kept his gigantic personality somewhat grounded.
5. Ye always saw himself as a great rapper first, and a producer second.
6. Ye feels like his medication helps him be "normal" or gives him the ability to "turn alien to English." He seems very scared of his own capabilities.
7. Coodie is a real friend. When Ye appears to be struggling with his mental health or he feels the energy shift to where Ye is having a moment of uncertainty, he cuts off the camera.
8. Ye's battles with his mental health and bipolar disorder can still be seen though.
9. Ye self-prophesized his ascension when no one took him seriously, which helps me understand why he doesn't like listening to anybody.
10. Ye's love for Chicago is unmatched.
11. Ye is one of the hardest workers in all of show business.
12. Ye's ear for production places him amongst the best producers of all time.
13. Ye will do whatever it takes to get his projects done by his standards.
14. Coodie is a genius himself.
15. Ye really loves Coodie, but I don't like how he left him behind when he blew up.
16. Ye was destined to run into friction with Roc-a-Fella and Jay-Z.
17. Ye dealt with the grief of his mother dying by doubling down on work. Instead of stopping to process, he buried himself in his art.
18. It feels like when Ye was committed to the hospital for a psychotic break, it was caused by years of working to the limits and not properly dealing with the grief of the most important person in his life dying unexpectedly.
19. Ye understands that he needs a translator.
20. Ye has always been religious.
21. Ye was always obsessed with fashion.
22. Ye's ego may be sky high but he still yearned for acceptance.
23. Mos Def was one of the first lyricists to take Ye seriously as a rapper.
24. Ye felt somewhat guilty about his suburban upbringing due to hip-hop sterotypes.
What did you think about Jeen-Yuhs? Let me know in the comments section below!
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. Other international suicide helplines can be found at befrienders.org. The Trevor Project, which provides help and suicide-prevention resources for LGBTQ youth, is 1-866-488-7386.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline is 1-888-950-6264 (NAMI) and provides information and referral services; GoodTherapy.org is an association of mental health professionals from more than 25 countries who support efforts to reduce harm in therapy.