A teaser for Netflix’s new Kanye West documentary Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy shows that the billionaire rapper and fashion mogul had an unwavering confidence in himself long before he was a household name.
The clip kicks off with behind-the-scenes footage captured at a humble New York City apartment in 2002, when the little-known West was still in his mid-20s.
“Me and Rhymefest got into an argument in the car,” West says about his fellow rapper and collaborator. “I feel like he disrespected me, man. Tried to say I wasn’t a genius.”
“Who are you to call yourself a genius?” Rhymefest asks, to which West responds with a sly smile.
Rolling Stone reports that the doc was directed by Coodie & Chik, the team behind West’s “Through the Wire” and “Jesus Walks (Version 3)” videos.
The duo have been recording West for 21 years, capturing key events including the death of West’s beloved mother Donda in 2007 and his quixotic 2020 presidential run.
“Everybody is born with a genius,” co-director Coodie told Rolling Stone. “When god blesses you with a vision and you move with belief in your purpose, you’ll be awakening to the fact that no matter what obstacles you face you will see that vision become reality. Trust God. Period.”
West’s own strong religious beliefs are intertwined with the teaser’s final piece of dialogue. “It was like God said, ‘I’m about to hand you the world,’” West says. “‘Just know at any given time I could take it away from you.’”
Act 1 of Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy will hit select theaters on February 10, one week before it premieres on Netflix on February 16. Acts 2 and 3 will arrive in the following two weeks.
