Netflix has paid $30 million for a documentary about Kanye West.
The multi-part series has been in the making for 21 years and will feature never-before-seen footage and home videos of the Yeezy mogul, according to Billboard. The untitled project is the work of Clarence “Coodie” Simmons and Chike Ozah, also known as Coodie & Chike, who directed two of West’s first music videos, “Through the Wire” and the third iteration of “Jesus Walks.”
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Simmons has been documenting West since the 1990s in Chicago. The documentary series will focus on the rapper-turned-billionaire’s rise to success and fame’s impact on him, as well as hip-hop’s impact on popular culture and the world’s fascination with celebrity.
The series, which will be available on Netflix later this year, will also reportedly touch on the 2007 death of West’s mother, Donda West, and how it affected Kanye, plus other eventful moments from West’s life including his foray into fashion and 2020 bid for the presidency. It’s unclear if his recent divorce from Kim Kardashian will be included.
While West is not creatively involved in the production, he has reportedly given his blessing by allowing himself to be filmed by Coodie & Chike for the past two decades.
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Another project is also being shopped around by Steve Stanulis, who worked as West’s bodyguard in 2016. The former NYPD officer and Chippendales dancer, who was around Kanye during a tumultuous year including his “SNL” meltdown, has described his unauthorized documentary as a “’48 Hours’ for real, or a Lethal Weapon for real.”
