Netflix is paying $30M for docuseries about Kanye West's life for some reason
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If you’ve been desperate for just a bit more insight into Kanye West’s huge brain, you’re in for a treat. According to Billboard, the Wyoming ranch owner, sometimes pastor, Yeezy crocs creator, 2024 POTUS hopeful, and recent divorcee will be the subject of a documentary that Neftlix deems worth $30 million. Variety has a source claiming the impressive price tag is “not accurate,” but both outlets report that the multi-part series has been 21 long years in the making and will be filled with tons of home videos and hours of never-before-seen footage.
The still-untitled doc will be helmed by music video producers Clarence “Coodie” Simmons and Chike Ozah, who last worked with ’Ye on his “Through the Wire” and “Jesus Walks (Version 30)” music videos, and promises to offer a behind-the-scenes look at West’s expansive career in both music and fashion. The documentary will also spotlight the death of his mother, Donda West, and his failed 2020 presidential campaign. It is still unclear how overtly the multi-part series will address the rapper’s bipolar disorder or touch on his cryptic Twitter rants, public feuds, or his increasingly messy split with wife of six years, Kim Kardashian.
In addition to working on music videos for other prominent hip hop and R&B artists, Coodie and Chike also directed A Kid From Coney Island (a documentary that highlighted the life and career of former basketball player Stephon Marbury), so the producer duo are clearly no strangers to work with public figures who are often polarizing and/or controversial. Billboard reports that the documentary will be release later this year, however Netflix has yet to confirm a date.
Though West has kept a pretty low profile since news of his divorce went public, last month, he took home his first gospel Grammy for his Jesus Is King record. The win marked his first Grammy in almost a decade.
[A previous version of this story stated that West is receiving part of the $30 million, a fact that has yet to be verified. — Ed.]
29 Comments
I’d happily watch a Kanye doc right up to and including Yeezy. His musical and personal journey to that point is pretty interesting. Not super interested in the half-assed music or descent into right-wing and fundamentalist Christian madness that came after that
I’d happily watch footage of him walking into a street sign played in a loop.
Or a chainsaw.
How would a chainsaw walk in to a street sign?
A little CGI, a little forced perspective. We’ll make it work in post.
Life of Pablo and KIDS SEE GHOSTS are some of his best work imo. And I honestly would be interested to see the doc’s perspective on what exactly led him down his bizarre path’s personally.
Ksg is okay, if overhyped. And even without the constant re-edits souring it, Pablo is an unfocused mess with little replay value.I don’t imagine his right wing turn is all that different from the dozens of others we’ve all read about. There’s not much value in dissecting what makes these people stupid, greedy, untethered to reality, and bigoted. For me, anyway. In Kanye’s case, it seems like a pretty public case of mental illness mixed with rejection from the first black president, combined with never being challenged by the company he keeps that makes him the kind of right-wing moron that says things like “slavery is a choice”.
Maybe someone needs to be like, “Hey Netflix, DON’T!”
If you don’t realize that Kanye West still has enough fans (and the train wreck element too) to make a $30 million documentary worth the investment, what are you doing writing for a pop culture website? This will be hugely popular.
Yeah and you’d probably get a lot of people watching a Snyder directed Fountainhead doesn’t mean you should fund it.
I don’t think a lot of things should be made, but I don’t pretend to not know why they are.
1. No you wouldn’t. That would get far more hate-watched than anything else. Justice League is only as popular as it is because it’s Justice League.2. Kanye’s on another stratosphere of fame from Zack.
Hate watching is the reason reality TV exists. That’s the bread and butter of some major networks and all the programming of some channels.
Yeah, Netflix doesn’t listen to the public for how to spend their money.They just throw darts around, get the data, see what sticks, and do more of that.But that’s what you do when you want to get every demographic to be a user. So Netflix is spending like what these days? 12 billions every year? Most of that goes into content that you will never watch. So well, here goes another docu series you and I won’t watch, who cares?
It’s also like; this is one of the most famous people on the planet. It’s not that weird to be interested in his life, awfulness and all.
Can we instead pay Kanye $30 million to disappear and never be heard from again?
Seriously, where is Cancel Culture when we need it most?
I don’t think he’d take it even if he were flat broke. The guy lives for attention and people’s reactions to his antics.
Maybe they could take that $30 million and set up a peer review system for the rest of their documentaries.
*Cough* *Cough*
(Fuck kinja for disabling embedded links)
This is just Framing Britney Spears with different CGI! They update it every week! Next time it’ll be Little Richard!
The only way to get this man out of our lives for ever is to stop giving him a platform! He is not well.
Here’s a billionaire. And a narcissist. He’ll just build his own. That’s why I’m wondering why we still haven’t heard from Trump in a, blessedly, long time.
I think Trump is trying to lay low enough to “fool” prosecutors into thinking he’s either 1) Not around [nothing to see here], or 2) Not really a bad guy — see, look how quiet I’m being (and he’s not being that quiet. He’s started trash talking on cable).
Nah, he just doesn’t know what to do without Twitter/social media, and the news channels won’t have him on. He still tries to make statements and put out press releases that no one pays attention to, because who cares what he has to say anymore?
I’ll watch it if they call it “Ye Gardens”
black people watch shows too.
As I don’t have the hate-boner some people do for Kim Kardashian (though I’m not a fan either), I’m happy to hear she’s extricated herself from her marriage to a guy who, let’s just say, needs help. I hope the kids re okay too.
Netflix is always on the look out for a good fantasy story.