Kanye West documentary coming to Netflix

The multi-part doc is expected to debut later this year on the streamer

Apr 7, 2021

A Kanye West documentary featuring two decades worth of footage has been picked up by Netflix.

According to VIBE, video directing duo Coodie and Chike have partnered with TIME Studios (TIME‘s TV and film division) for the upcoming documentary.

TIME Studios has released some acclaimed documentaries in recent years, including John Lewis: Good Trouble. The film, based on the life and career of the American politician, went on to win Best Documentary Film at the 2021 NAACP Image Awards.

Expected to be released later this year, the multi-part documentary reportedly includes never-before-seen footage of the rapper and is said to cover “his career in music and fashion, his failed 2020 presidential bid, and the death of his mother, Donda West.”

Though Billboard initially reported the doc was sold for $30M, sources told Variety that figure was “inaccurate.”

Kanye West (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Live Nation)

Clarence “Coodie” Simmons and Chike Ozah have done numerous collaborations with West, including his music videos for “Jesus Walks (Version 3)” and “Through the Wire.”

West reportedly has no involvement in the documentary but has given the project “his blessing” ahead of its release. The duo’s relationship with the Jesus is King rapper is described as “the backbone” of the doc.

Netflix has experienced great success with music docs, shedding light on what artists’ lives are really like behind the scenes.

The streamer’s Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell documentary on rap legend Notorious B.I.G, dropped last month to positive reviews. Homecoming, Beyoncé’s concert doc, showcased the singer’s intense training and dedication ahead of her blockbuster Coachella performance.

It broke records for Netflix, reaching 1.1 million viewers on its premiere day alone.

Fast Company Innovation Festival - Day 3 — Steven Smith and Kanye West speak on stage at the “Kanye West and Steven Smith in Conversation with Mark Wilson” on November 07, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Brad Barket/Getty Images for Fast Company)

As theGrio‘s DeMicia Inman reported in February, West and his wife Kim Kardashian West recently filed for divorce after over six years of marriage.

According to a source, the two have been “keeping it low-key but they are done…Kim got Kanye to go up there [Wyoming] so they could live separate lives and quietly get things sorted out to separate and divorce. She’s done.”

Check out the music video for West’s debut single, “Through the Wire” directed by Coodie and Chike, below:

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