Netflix’s latest blockbuster documentary is centred around the rise of Kanye West – jeen-yuhs chronicles Kanye’s rise to superstardom over more than 20 years, starting in the late ’90s when he was emerging as a real talent in his hometown, Chicago. (You can find out more by reading our jeen-yuhs review.)
Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of the entire Netflix documentary is who was filming Kanye for all those years – after all, the documentary’s narrative starts before he achieved true fame.
Coodie Simmons is the creative force behind the project, alongside frequent collaborator Chike Ozah.
Coodie’s story is equally as fascinating as Kanye’s – read on for all you need to know about the producer and narrator of jeen-yuhs, and his long-term collaborator, Chike Ozah.
Who is Coodie Simmons?
Coodie Simmons (born Clarence Simmons Jr.) has a largely off-camera role in jeen-yuhs, but his presence is always felt as he is the docu-series’ narrator and principal cinematographer.
Like Kanye, he’s from Chicago, and had a natural talent for making people laugh, so began working towards a career in comedy.
In jeen-yuhs, Coodie gets a job on a local hip hop station and sets about exploring the scene in Chicago when one name in particular crops up multiple times…
After hearing about the quality of Kanye’s producing, Coodie sets out to get an interview with the man himself and from their first meeting, he knew he’d met a star.
Ye’s world took him to New York, where he joined as a producer with Roc-A-Fella, famously helping to bring Jay Z’s The Blueprint to life. Coodie, who felt he needed to follow Kanye and see where success took him, gave up his life in the Windy City and moved to the Big Apple to reconnect.
Like his documentary subject, Coodie would go on to enjoy great success in New York after teaming up to design motion graphics for MTV.
There, Coodie met long-time collaborator, Chike, who was producing MTV’s You Heard It First – a series that featured up-and-coming aritsts – and was about to film an episode with Kanye – a seminal moment in his career, but also one for Coodie and Chike’s also.
The pair would go on to produce Kanye’s first music video, Through The Wire (and others for him).
In 2012, they released their critically acclaimed film, Benji, which followed the life of Benjamin Wilson, a number one high-school basketball player.
The following year, they released Good Morning, which claimed first place at the American Black Film Festival.
!["Coodie]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2022/02/coodie-and-chike-0ee8700.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Coodie")
Who is Chike Ozah?
Unlike Coodie and Kanye, Chike Ozah was born in New Orleans, but spent most of his summers in New York where he would visit art galleries and museums to nurture his creative talent.
He found his passion for design in high school before learning video craft in Savannah College of Art and Design.
Chike would eventually move to New York where he got a job with MTV – eventually bringing him in contact with Coodie, and the rest was history.
Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy starts on Netflix on Wednesday 16th February. Read our guide to the best series on Netflix. For something else, visit our TV Guide our check out dedicated Documentaries hub.
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