Kanye West claims new documentary made him feel “dead”
Kanye West has become one of the most polarising figures in hip-hop. As an entrepreneur, producer, rapper and designer he has contributed more to hip-hop culture than any of his counterparts, yet many of his antics have made him a major pariah in the music industry.
The Graduation creator has evolved and adapted musically so many times, it has been impossible to keep up with his latest antics and, despite the amazing material that has come of his progression, the culture is lost as to who he really is now.
As such, a documentary has been made about his journey and various artistic iterations and the effect it has had on hip-hop. However, it also covers some of the more negative aspects of his life, focusing on the emotional volatility and self-destructive behaviours he has shown in recent years.
Entitled, In Whose Name?, the documentary follows teenager Nico Ballesteros who accompanied West everywhere for six years in order to piece together this new project. Not only did the 18-year-old film a lot of the footage but he also directed the documentary.
A press release about the documentary states it covers “overlapping influences of corporate exploitation, racial complexities and psychological struggles inherent in the American dream.” As well as, this it claims that it zooms in on “aspects of celebrity life which confront the provocative opinions, grand visions and bold contrarianism that defined him as the world’s most controversial artist.”
That said, Kanye’s response is promising. Shortly after sending West the first cut, Ballesteros took to Instagram to post a screenshot of text exchange he had with West, who stated, “The doc was deep,” adding, “It was like being dead and looking back on my life.”
Ballesteros appreciated the praise, responding,”This is the most profound text message I have ever received. I love you brother.” Kanye West has seemingly played a much more significant role in the making of In Whose Name? than he did in Netflix’s documentary about him.
In 2022, Netflix released a trilogy about the life of West titled, Jeen-Yuhs. The creators of the documentary didn’t even send the College Dropout emcee the final cut as they were insistent on their vision, which somewhat painted West in a negative light.
In a since-deleted Instagram post, Clarence ‘Coodie’ Simmons and Chike Ozah, the Jeen-Yus creators, told online magazine, Digital Spy that they refused sending it for fear of compromising their artistic vision. They told the magazine, “It’s not an autobiography of Kanye, you know. It’s not a type of documentary where it would serve the doc best for him to have ultimate control.”
Although it is not available to fans yet, it appears Ye is far happier with In Whose Name than he was in 2022.