The 4 biggest moments from 'Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye trilogy' part one

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Zac NtimJan 24, 2022, 16:20 IST
The 4 biggest moments from 'Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye trilogy' part one

Ye in "jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy."jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy/Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Netflix.

  • Netflix's "Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye trilogy" debuted at Sundance on Sunday night.
  • The documentary follows the rapper over two decades.
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Ye "bum-rushed" the office of Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records in 2002 and performed his single "All Falls Down."

Ye "bum-rushed" the office of Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records in 2002 and performed his single "All Falls Down."
Ye in 2004.Theo Wargo/WireImage

The first episode of "Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye trilogy" opens in 2020 in the Dominican Republic and Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) is in the middle of a recording session for his latest album "Donda." As Ye freestyles furiously over a beat, attempting to conjure up a verse, the documentary jumps back in time to 1998, the start of the rapper's career and the making of his first album "The College Dropout."

At the time, Ye — who was only known for his work as a music producer — had been struggling to get members of the music industry to take him seriously as a rapper.

At one point during the first episode, Ye and his associates enter the offices of Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records in a move that was described as "bum-rushing" by Clarence "Coodie" Simmons — the film's director and narrator — and Ye travels throughout the office building playing an early version of his 2004 single "All Falls Down" for staff.

Ye also performs the song live for the staff in the building.

Ye duets with his mother Donda West.

Ye duets with his mother Donda West.
Ye and Donda West in 2006.Kevin Winter/Getty Images

At the tail end of the first episode, Ye returns to his mother's home in Chicago. The pair discuss Ye's childhood and his current success as a music producer when Donda West recalls a set of early lyrics from a song by Ye that she says is her favorite.

"I walk through the halls of the school, and it's cool to be known for my rapping ability, but what about the brothers who ain't got it like me," Donda West raps, and Ye quickly joins her.

The pair continue to perform the entire verse — which, according to Genuis.com, is from an unreleased song written by Ye as a teenager.

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Ye almost signed with Rawkus Records instead of Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records.

Ye almost signed with Rawkus Records instead of Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records.
Ye and Mos Def in 2005.Johnny Nunez/WireImage

In the late 1990s, an underground record label called Rawkus Records that was partially funded by the Murdoch family became the home of hip-hop's "conscious rappers" — that is, rap artists who discuss sociopolitical themes in their music — after it snapped up artists such as Mos Def and Talib Kweli to record contracts.

In "Jeen-Yuhs," we see a representative for Rawkus Records attempting to court Ye to sign a recording contract with Rawkus Records instead of Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records. At the time, Ye had a close working relationship with Mos Def and Talib Kweli, both of whom appeared on his debut album.

Despite producing several songs on Jay-Z's blockbuster 2001 album "The Blueprint," Ye had still been struggling to convince Roc-A-Fella Records to take a chance on him. The senior management team at Rawkus Records eventually decides not to sign Ye, and he continues his quest to find representation.

Ye wanted the rapper Scarface to feature on the chorus of "Jesus Walks."

Ye wanted the rapper Scarface to feature on the chorus of "Jesus Walks."
The rapper Scarface in 2015.Paras Griffin/BET/Getty Images for BET Networks

After failing to secure a recording contract with Rawkus Records, Ye restarts work on his debut album, and in an attempt to raise buzz around the album, tries to enlist the rapper Scarface who, at the time, was one of the most popular rap artists in the world, to feature on the record.

The documentary shows the pair — who previously collaborated on Jay-Z's 2000 "This Can't Be Life" and the singles "Guess Who's Back" and "Heaven" from Scarface's 2002 project "The Fix" — in the studio. Ye plays Scarface an early version of "Jesus Walks," and asks him whether he will feature on the song's chorus.

Scarface asks Kanye to share another song and he plays "Family Business." Ye freestyle raps the song's first verse, which Scarface describes as "incredible."

Scarface leaves the studio to work on his verses but never makes it back to officially record the songs. Both singles eventually appeared on Ye's debut album "The College Dropout" without features.

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