Buckle In, The Full Kanye Experience Is Coming To Netflix

Bobby Barker

No matter your opinion of Kanye West; musical genius, insufferable egomaniac, misunderstood intellectual, self-righteous hypocrite, messiah, moron; chances are, you probably have an opinion of him. For almost two decades the hip-hop icon has been one the most talked about figures in modern entertainment. There’s just something about the combination of immense talent, unfiltered eccentricity and, most of all, incredibly unpredictable behaviour that has had the world obsessed with Kanye West’s every move. It’s no surprise then that the price tag for a docuseries covering his entire journey; from the streets of Chicago to the presidential campaign trail (yep, that really happened) was reportedly as high as $30 million. It should also come as no surprise that Netflix took home the spoils, securing the rights to the series which will feature over two decades of never-before-seen footage. Based on the massive cultural impact of Netflix’s 2020 docuseries releases (you might remember Tiger King and The Last Dance), the streaming colossus likely couldn’t resist the potential of a series with West as the focal point. After all, I think it’s fair to say the filmmakers will have more than a few noteworthy topics to cover.

From bursting onto the scene with his game-changing debut The College Dropout, to his stunning diss of then-President George W. Bush on live national television, to the devastating death of his mother, to his unforgettable “did he really just do that?” hijacking of Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the VMA’s. And that’s all before 2010! Then came the Kardashians and the Yeezus tour and the White House meeting with Donald Trump and the gospel album and the bizarre run for president and then oh my goodness how long is this series going to be?! And to think, West nearly lost his life before it all could take place, suffering an almost fatal car accident when he was just 25.

Taking on the monumental task of whittling down hours of footage and gluttony of potential storylines into a digestible series are West’s fellow Chicagoan’s, Clarence “Coodie” Simmons and Chike Ozah. The directing duo probably best known for several high-profile hip-hop music videos in the 2000’s and 2010’s, working with popular artists Erykah Badu, Lupe Fiasco, and West himself on his video for “Jesus Walks” back in ‘04. However, Coodie & Chike are no strangers to the documentary format and their ESPN 30 for 30 doc Benji in 2012 and was met with excellent reviews from critics and audiences.

While there is not yet an official name for the series, nor an announced date for the series premiere, expectations are that the series should be up on the streaming service before the end of the year. Honestly, knowing Kanye West, he’ll probably have given the producers another three hours worth of storylines in the time between this announcement and the series release, so it’s probably best they get this out sooner rather than later.

Top image credit: Kenny Sun