E43 | Jeen-yuhs - Act 3 : AWAKENING ( Documentary / series)

<p>“jeen-yuhs” codirectors Coodie and Chike were smart to break up their documentary on Kanye West into three parts, especially where they did: “Act I: Vision” covers the earliest days of a future legend, “Act II: Purpose” zeroes in on the pivotal moment that he became a megastar, and “Act III: Awakening” explores the repercussions of that explosive success.</p><p>The only problem is that, as the insiders who made the first two acts, Coodie and Chike got kicked outside for the third — a perhaps natural progression for the inner circle of an artist who, as an underdog, wanted every moment of his life documented but now, as a superstar, almost certainly does not. Particularly, that is, in the current climate, when the rest of the media hangs on his every public act or social-media missive (and justifiably or no, is not kind about them).</p><p>As a result, “Awakening” feels more forlorn and distant than its predecessors, unsure of how to resolve a life and career story that obviously is not yet finished, wherein its documentarians no longer have the same access as they once did.</p><p>“Awakening” opens with an act of hubris from Kanye West that seems prophetic (given his subsequent behavior) but which one imagines might have been charming at the moment he was hovering on the cusp of success: West gets into a real argument with frequent collaborator and fellow rapper Rhymefest for emphatically saying that Kanye is not a genius — yet. “Genius is developed through experience and hardship,” Rhymefest observes, “and I thought you were a genius before I saw Jay-Z make up a rap in five minutes.” Of course, Jay-Z had more than a decade of experience on West even before he released his debut album, but you still get the sense that West’s beloved mother Donda may have at least slightly over-nurtured her son’s confidence.</p><p>Sadly, she died in 2007, taking with her the counterbalance and groundedness that kept him tethered to reality, although more than one montage showcases exactly how quickly West succumbed to de