Directors give inside look at the life of Kanye West through 'jeen-yuhs' documentary
CHICAGO - A new documentary takes a fresh look at the life of a Chicagoan, who is often in the headlines.
The two men behind it have been following Kanye West for years.
Long before he was one of the most celebrated, best-selling, controversial music artists of all time, West was a kid from Chicago.
His rise through the world of the Chicago rap scene to becoming the man, artist and controversial figure he is today is the focus of the new three-part documentary entitled, "jeen-yuhs.
FOX 32's Jake Hamilton spoke with the two co-directors of the documentary, Coodie and Chicke, who have been following West since 1998.
"Even to make it out of Chicago — it takes a strong person, you know, because we have the weather, you know we have segregation, we got the gangs," said Coodie. "We wanted to capture the essence of hip-hop, you know murders in Chicago."
Between controversies surrounding his relationship with former President Donald Trump, and the very public feuds with his ex Kim Kardashian, West's work has always been in danger of being overshadowed by the TMZ headlines surrounding his personal life.
And while director Coodie has had a long-standing friendship with West for over 20 years, he says that when it comes to the final cut of "jeen-yuhs," West was not allowed to weigh in.
"I also told him, dude, you have to trust me," said Coodie. "You have to really trust me, and if you have any say on this movie, we lose authenticity because this is not about you."