Kanye wants “final edit and approval” of his Jeen-Yuhs documentary
“I’m going to say this kindly for the last time”
Kanye West has asked for “final edit and approval” of his forthcoming documentary, titled Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy, just days ahead of its release.
The documentary looks over the past 20 years of the rapper’s notorious career, soon to be published by Netflix and debuted at Sundance Film Festival in Salt Lake City over the weekend.
“I’m going to say this kindly for the last time. I must get final edit and approval on this doc before it releases on Netflix,” he demanded in an Instagram post on Friday.
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“Open the edit room immediately so I can be in charge of my own image. Thank you in advance,” he said alongside a picture of the film’s cover art.
The three-part documentary is due to air on Netflix on February 16. Over 20 years in the making, Jeen-Yuhs - directed by Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah - uses footage of the rapper spanning decades of his music career.
Simmons told Variety earlier last week that Kanye had told him he trusted the director “100%” with the film’s final cut, but added, “it’s not about making Kanye likeable or not”.
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“When his team and the business people have gotten involved, they’re of course going to have their say. But I needed to tell this story,” he said. “The footage doesn’t lie. What makes the film special is that it’s not something definitive; it’s his journey through my vision.”
So far, two teasers for the forthcoming three-part project have been released. The first, released back in September, featured Mos Def and Ye rapping together in 2004.
The second trailer dropped just two weeks ago including never-before-seen footage of the rapper after a car crash in 2002, as well as more recent footage behind the scenes in the making of ‘DONDA’.
Reviews poured in after the film premiered at Sundance Festival yesterday, January 23, with mostly mediocre reports and scrutiny over the documentary’s excessive length.
Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow her on Twitter
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