New Kanye West Netflix Documentary "Jeen-yuhs" Addresses His Mental Health Issues
Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy is a new three-part documentary series about the rise of producer-turned-rapper Kanye West (who legally changed his name to Ye in 2018). The film, which includes over 4.5 hours of never-before-seen behind the scenes footage, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. Its first installment arrived on Netflix on February 16, with parts two and three debuting on February 23 and March 2, respectively.
The directors of the documentary – Clarence “Coodie” Simmons, a stand-up comedian-turned-director and his creative partner, Chike Ozah – began filming West in 2002, chronicling the lead-up and aftermath of his 2004 debut album, The College Dropout. The pair documented West’s career for the next two decades, sometimes up close and personal, and at other times from a distance (as West’s popularity and prominence skyrocketed).
In an interview with GQ, Ozah explains that what makes jeen-yuhs so special is “the way Kanye reacts when Coodie's lens is in front of him.” He elaborates by saying that the documentary reveals a side of the rapper that people who only know him from the tabloids have never seen: “[It] contextualizes him but also forms a layer of empathy.”
In part two of jeen-yuhs, Coodie explains his initial desire to release the documentary in 2006. At that point, however, West was so famous he was concerned that the film would depict “the real him.” In 2014, things changed when West asked Coodie and Chike to help him with his “messaging,” but when the “Powers That Be” got involved, Coodie says the arrangement fell apart. Notably, this was right before West’s public breakdown during his Saint Pablo Tour, when he was eventually hospitalized for bipolar disorder.
Coodie expresses regret that he didn’t push harder to make the documentary happen then. “It felt, to me, that Kanye was crying out for help at that moment,” he explains in a New York Times interview. “I was really, really worried. I thought we were supposed to help him and we weren’t able to because of the powers around him.”
It wasn’t until 2019 when West would discuss his bipolar disorder publicly on an episode of David Letterman’s Netflix interview show My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. In the first episode of the series’ second season, West said he hoped to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness because “People are allowed to say anything about it and discriminate in any way.”
Part three of jeen-yuhs addresses West’s ongoing mental health struggles. During one of West’s bizarre rants, Coodie is so disturbed that he puts down the camera, saying, “There's parts in the film early on when he’s real passionate… but this was a little different and I know he was dealing with his mental health at the time. So it was really uncomfortable. So I'm like, Okay, let me listen. Let me pay attention. I don't need to have this on camera."
Jeen-yuhs, and other documentaries that present frank depictions of mental illness, are significant because they allow viewers to realize that anyone can struggle with mental health issues like bipolar disorder, even the most famous celebrities. This helps people who deal with mental health disabilities realize that they are not alone, nor are they limited in what they can accomplish in life despite their illness.
If you are dealing with bipolar disorder or another mental illness, it can make it nearly impossible to continue working. At this point, seeking disability support by applying for long term disability insurance benefits may be the best option so you can receive the medical treatment you need. Unfortunately, invisible illnesses like mental health issues are not always taken seriously by long term disability insurance companies. The lack of objective proof or absence of a clear-cut diagnosis of mental illness can result in denied LTD benefits.
If you are dealing with denied LTD benefits, do not hesitate to contact the disability claim lawyers at Share Lawyers. Denied LTD benefits are common, but the experienced long-term disability claim lawyers at Share Lawyers have a lot of experience. Our long term disability lawyers have helped many clients get the long term disability insurance benefits they deserve, including clients with invisible illnesses like bipolar disorder.
Mental health illnesses may be invisible disabilities but that doesn't mean that they aren’t valid disabilities. If your mental health issues are making it difficult to keep up with the demands at work or you have been wrongly denied long term disability insurance benefits reach out to a long term disability lawyer at Share Lawyers. We offer a free consultation so you can explore your options.
If you have had your claim for long term disability denied, contact the long term disability insurance lawyers at Share Lawyers. Our experienced team of long term disability (LTD) lawyers can help. Toronto is home to the Share Lawyers office, but we have helped people all across Canada. We have recently settled cases against Canada Life, Desjardins, Manulife, RBC Insurance, Sun Life, and many more. We offer free consultations and there are no fees unless we win your case. Find out if you have a disability case.
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