What We Can Learn From Kanye in “Jeen-Yuhs”
WARNING: This content contains spoilers of the Jeen-Yuhs trilogy about Kanye West on Netflix.
Letʻs start by saying that I donʻt think Kanye is the ideal role model. Especially now (okay, thatʻs obvious). However, this documentary was still filled with some interesting takeaways. I think we can distinguish between the two, so letʻs get into it.
First of all, I still canʻt believe someone decided to start filming him so early in his career. While watching, I found myself cheering for him in those early years. It was so natural. He was the underdog. No one saw the potential in him as a rapper, only as a producer.
Watching it back, I couldnʻt believe how people didnʻt automatically know he had something special. Everyone but Coodie that is. And major props to him for having the belief and faith he did in Kanye. It definitely paid off (quite literally Iʻm assuming).
After ruminating on the documentary, there were two thoughts that stuck out: 1) Kanye is the reason why Kanye is successful and 2) does humility take away from your self-value? Other viewers may not have attached as much to the second point, but it somehow stuck out in my brain. Letʻs start with the first thing though.
#1: Kanye is the reason why Kanye is successful
If there is one moment in the documentary that I will remember forever, itʻs the scene where Kanye walks into Roc-A-Fella Records and played his song, “All Falls Down” and NOBODY showed any sign of interest. Like at all. Not even a bounce to the rhythm. Damn. I felt that. And I was honestly shook-ith because that song goes hard! As soon as Syleena Johnson hits the track, Iʻm hype. It was comical watching it all unfold.
If I were Kanye, I honestly wouldʻve felt a little embarrassed, definitely sad, and confused as to what the hell I was trying to do. I know weʻre not all confident Kanye out here, but it must have taken courage to walk up in there and share what he had been working so hard on. And then for no one to bat an eye, thatʻs gotta sting. I donʻt care who you are.
I donʻt know if the majority of people have that kind of guts. That kind of bravery to put themselves out there. Itʻs scary.
Kanye showed us that we have to believe in ourselves because no one else will. That same song that he played in the office would go on to be nominated as the Best Rap/sung Collaboration at the Grammyʻs.
Had he stopped and felt sorry for himself, that song wouldʻve never got the attention it deserved. This is not anything new or ground-breaking, but another reminder that even the most successful people have faced rejection. Theyʻve taken big risks and let the world judge them because that is what you must do to get to places youʻve never been. And those people that once overlooked or judged you, will wish they jumped on the bandwagon sooner.
I do hope those people who worked in the office look back at the moment and laugh.
Before we move on, I have to highlight another clip where itʻs just Kanye and the camera (and Coodie). Kanyeʻs album is ready and he just talks about how he feels there is just no way he can lose. Before he had any reason to believe otherwise. His confidence, his authenticity, his extreme work ethic and his community led him to this conclusion. And thatʻs just gotta be such an amazing feeling to believe in yourself so full-heartedly.
Alright, moving on to #2.
#2 Does humility take away from your self-value?
Another argument that stuck with me was when Kanye talked about humility. He is definitely not an expert on the subject, but It did make me think. I tried to find the part where he talks about it, but I couldnʻt. Iʻm sorry.
The gist of the argument that Kanye brings up, is why we canʻt acknowledge our accomplishments. Why we have to play everything down to be humble. And that is an interesting thought.
Is there a point where we shouldnʻt downgrade our ability so that we appear polite? Are we allowed to be good at things and just say it honestly and openly? Iʻm thinking about it in a social situation and every way I look at it, it comes off cocky. Does saying youʻre good at something automatically mean that you think you canʻt get better at it? I donʻt think so. I believe you can say youʻre good at something and still know you can improve. It doesnʻt have to take away from your character. Humility seems polite in this context.
Orrrrr do we just know in our own head that we are good at something and project that to the rest of the world so we appear humble. As a personal example, I think Iʻm good at volleyball. Better than most of the population, but definitely not the best in the world. However, I know I still have a lot of work on and there are so many people who are better than me.
If anyone were to ask me if I was good at volleyball, my response would be something like, “ohhh, Iʻm okay (insert nervous laugh).” This response might lead them to believe that I am humble, which would put me in a more positive light in their mind (humility = good person). And this is all very comfortable.
Now, imagine that I said, “Yes, I am actually quite good at volleyball. I was SEC Freshman of the Year!” This response seems a little too much, doesnʻt it? The person asking would probably respond politely; however, now I might be viewed as a little cocky (cocky = negative connotation). Even though I think itʻs a cool accomplishment, it feels like I could never announce that information. And I havenʻt to this day.
But Iʻm rambling, so let me get back to you in a second.
…
Okay, so I just looked up humility and the first article was literally called, “11 Reasons to be More Humble.” Ha! Carly, shut the hell up you self-absorbed asshole. You could read it here.
Going through it all, it makes me really confused. The balance between confidence and humility is a tough one. I also think that it is ironic that a person could never even admit that they are humble.
Iʻm getting off topic here lol, but I do think what made Kanye so successful was his overriding confidence and ability to put himself out there. If he was “humble”, maybe we wouldnʻt have the music that we do. Who is to say?
I guess my conclusion to this little argument is that itʻs okay to acknowledge your skills and know youʻre good at something. You donʻt have to discount yourself just for the publicʻs perceptions sake. Itʻs equally as important to know that you can always get better and you donʻt have to rub it in peopleʻs faces.
More than meets the eye
All in all, it was such a cool experience to get to see the beginning of Kanyeʻs story. Iʻm so thankful that Coodie took that camera out and started rolling. I think itʻs grounding and humanizing. Kanye is just a real person with amazing talent and flaws like the rest of us (though his platform is much bigger).
I donʻt believe in everything that he does, but I think thatʻs the point. We donʻt have to. His story, background and experiences have made him into who he is today. And I know that kind of fame definitely comes with a price. Most likely to your mental health.
Before watching the documentary, I was not team Kanye (#swiftie4lyfe). Iʻm still not his biggest fan, especially with everything thatʻs going on currently. However, I have a lot of respect for his story and how he made his dream a reality. And I was inspired enough to write about it.
I think this goes to show how much we donʻt know about someoneʻs life. And we just got a small snippet of it. For everyone we meet, there is so much more than meets the eye. I think this documentary allowed us to understand Kanye a little bit more.
Note: If you havenʻt watched the trilogy on Netflix, I definitely recommend it! If you have, what did you think about it? Did it change the way you think about him?
