Early Kayne, Jeen Yuhs

We watched the first release of the Kayne doc last night. This particular clip is epic. Clarence “Coodie” Simmons Jr is the narrator who has a front seat to Kayne’s beginnings and eventual rise from beats producer to being signed with Roc-A-Fella Records as a rap artist.

Kayne had a swagger, confidence, and the talent to go with it. Indeed, having the wherewithal to film a documentary about his rise to stardom says it all. Seeing Mos Def, Pharrel, Jay-Z, Just Blaze, Young Guru, and so many others who appear in the documentary knowing their trajectory is so good.

Donda West, his mother, was an incredible human being. At one point, after being signed, she takes him back to where he was raised, showing him his roots. Kayne thanks her for doing such a great job in raising him. She can rap too!

The quote that stuck with me is the one from Donda. She said, “the giant in the mirror sees nothing.” She knew where her son was going and wanted to make sure he stayed humble. You can keep your feet on the ground and still have your success head in the cloud.

Those words of wisdom can be applied to anyone that has achieved success way and beyond the American Dream. Kayne has done just that. He teeters on the edge of genius and insanity. His dreams are enormous, and he makes the most of them every day. Some good, some not so good. We all know what the next twenty years for him will look like, and there are two more shows to go, but there is no doubt that losing his Mom was devastating.

The giant in any of us needs to stay planted on earth. It makes for a better planet.