Kanye West attends the Los Angeles Mission's Annual Thanksgiving event at the Los Angeles Mission on November 24, 2021 in Los Angeles, California.
David Livingston/Getty ImagesKanye West suggested that he may hold up the Netflix rollout of his three-part Jeen-Yuhs film in an Instagram post Friday.
“I’m going to say this kindly for the last time,” the rapper, who now goes by Ye, wrote. “I must get final edit and approval on this doc before it releases on Netflix. Open the edit room immediately so I can be in charge of my own image.” Variety has reported that while West is listed as a producer on the film, he was not given final cut approval.
The film has been scheduled to premiere as part of the Sundance film festival on Sunday at 6 p.m. MST. It would then hit theaters on Feb. 10, a week ahead of its Netflix premiere. Deadline reports that screening copies of the film are already circulating in the media with the caveat that it’s a “work in progress.”
Neither reps for West nor Netflix returned Rolling Stone’s requests for comment ahead of publication.
Longtime West associates Coodie and Chike, who helmed the rapper’s breakthrough “Through the Wire” video, directed the trilogy. Jeen-Yuhs is expected to chronicle the artist’s career with never-before-seen footage, shot over a 21-year period. Rolling Stone has reported that the pair captured behind-the-scenes footage of West after the death of his mother, Donda, in 2007, and after his failed 2020 presidential bid for the film.
“Everybody is born with a genius,” Coodie has commented. “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.”
Iconic Events, the production company behind David Byrne’s American Utopia, will handle the film’s theatrical rollout. The company plans on putting it in several hundred film houses around the country.
NEWS
Lola Young has joined forces with Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) to release a new T shirt for the charity’s Lifelines collection.
The shirt supports CALM’s suicide prevention work, with proceeds helping to fund vital resources such as its helpline and CALMzone mental health app.
CALM introduced the Lifelines range last year, with Fontaines D.C., Blossoms and Inhaler also contributing their own designs to the collection.
Young’s design includes the words, “There’s a flicker of light. There’s always morning after the night”, taken from her track ‘Flicker Of Light’.
“I wrote this song about realising there is hope. I have often felt like there isn’t, but there is always a reason to keep going,” Young said. “That’s even when you don’t want to get out of bed, you do, and that is amazing, and you’re still here, and you’re still alive, and if anything, that’s something to be proud of.”
CALM CEO Simon Gunning also shared his appreciation for the collaboration, saying: “We couldn’t be more grateful to Lola for supporting ‘Lifelines’ and showing just how powerful music can be as a force for good.”
Priced at £30, the T shirts come in both standard and boxy fits and are available to purchase here.
Young has regularly spoken about her experiences with mental health. She returned to performing earlier this year after calling off her 2025 tour because of exhaustion. The decision followed her collapse during a performance in New York City. During her time away, she later discussed receiving support for addiction and attending AA meetings as part of her recovery.
In an interview with NME in May, Young explained that she believes “all healing journeys are never ending”, although she is now “definitely in a much better place”. She also said she feels “excited and ready to perform and to release music”.
Reflecting on the encouragement she received after publicly discussing those challenges, Young said: “My fans inspire me in the same way I hope to inspire them. I feel like I’ve never tried to be especially honest… it just comes very naturally to me.”
“I don’t really have any other choice but to be honest, so if people connect to that, and that’s amazing.”
Several musicians have also applauded the ‘Messy’ singer for honestly addressing the pressure placed on touring performers. Lily Allen said she was “in awe” of the BRIT and Grammy winner, while Victoria Canal credited Young with bringing greater attention to the damaging impact demanding tour schedules can have on artists’ mental wellbeing.
When NME asked whether musicians were beginning to establish firmer boundaries around their health, Young replied: “I never intended it to start a movement, but I hope that it does in some way.”
