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Kanye West isn’t exactly known for being humble… But $33,000 on a music video was once a steep cost for the controversial, big spender rapper.

In the second part of his Netflix documentary, ‘Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy’, Kanye revealed that the video for ‘Through the Wire’ was a pricey endeavour. The song was Kanye’s breakout release, and is still considered today to be one of his most iconic videos.

In the video, we’re shown the story of a car accident that Kanye had in Los Angeles after he fell asleep at the wheel. The rapper’s injuries were so severe that medics initially thought he wouldn’t survive. He pulled through, but because his jaw was shattered in three places, he had to have his mouth wired shut – hence the title of the song ‘Through the Wire’.

The accident took more than a physical toll on Kanye. Roc-A-Fella Records – the label Kanye had fought to join as a rapper, not a producer (as he was previously known in the industry) – indefinitely delayed the release of The College Dropout, Ye’s debut album. The combination of the label’s decision and Ye’s accident could have spelt the end of his career right then and there.

Yet ever the fighter, Kanye decided that he wouldn’t be set back by the events. In the Netflix documentary, we see that he was able to strike a deal with MTV, and that in exchange for appearing on ‘MTV After Hours’, Ye was allowed to use the network’s editing equipment.

Speaking about the experience, Kanye emphasised that nothing was easy about the process. “This video cost me $33,000 that I paid for out of my pocket”, he said. It was a huge personal investment. He was betting on himself in a moment when others had bailed.

Ye’s determination was present in other areas of his life, too. In the documentary, we see Ye telling his dentist that he wanted to skip a surgery because it would push back his music release too much. At one point, he even tried to rap ‘Through the Wire’ before he had the wires removed from his mouth – it’s a snippet of the rapper’s strength and stubbornness in the game.

Fortunately, both Ye’s mouth and career recovered phenomenally. ‘Through the Wire’ hit number 15 on Billboard Hot 100 and earned him a Grammy nomination in 2005 for Best Rap Solo Performance. More importantly, the success of the single proved to Roc-A-Fella that Ye was ready and the label increased the budget, and set a release date for, The Graduate Dropout.

Ye could probably spend $33,000 on a t-shirt these days, but back at the start of his music journey, the price tag he paid from his own funds showed just how much he wanted to make it. He was proving things to himself, Roc A Fella, the music industry, and the world – and that was invaluable to the young artist.

It was also a healing process in many ways. Kanye says in the documentary that The College Dropout was a therapy for him: “I used this entire album as my rehabilitation. Instead of staying at the hotel, I snuck in and made songs that inspired me, songs that gave me life. I feel like this album was kind of like my angel that helped build me. It revived my spirits”.

$33,000 for the video was totally worth it.