BBC Three’s Ben Zand garnered attention in March with R. Kelly: Sex, Girls, And Videotape, an intimate documentary that explored singer R. Kelly’s upbringing in Chicago as well as the numerous sexual abuse charges and accusations. The British journalist stayed in Chicago with his next documentary subject, Searching For Kanye West in a new 37-minute documentary. Zand’s latest documentary was uploaded to BBC Three’s YouTube channel yesterday, and promised a “fresh and revealing portrait of one of the most controversial and influential artists of the 21st century, at a pivotal point in the life of ‘Ye’.”
Zand begins the documentary by noting that he, like millions all over the world, is a “massive fan” of the mercurial artist-producer. But he then admits that he’s “actually always been interested more in the man than the music.” That level of intrigue has increased in the past year, as Kanye has come back from his self-imposed exile from the public after a mental health crisis and began an alliance with Donald Trump and the Make America Great Again movement, which has been tied to a rise in terrorism and bigotry motivated attacks throughout the country. Zand interviews people who know Kanye in Chicago and DC to examine why the former beacon of social consciousness in hip-hop is now “going all out to show he doesn’t care what people think.” Check out the full video above.
