Kanye West's 'In Whose Name': a documentary journey through brilliance and bedlam

Iconic rapper Kanye West (now known as Ye) recently dropped the trailer for his highly anticipated documentary, "In Whose Name", and judging from the looks of it, fans and foes are in store for a bumpy ride through his chaotic life. 

A part of the film’s synopsis reads: "Immersed in Ye’s world of extremes, bore witness to brilliance and breakdowns, triumphs and turmoil, but also observed the paranoia and intensity that increasingly shaped Ye’s world."

Kim Kardashian and their children make brief cameos in the minute-long trailer, cut from 3 000 hours of never-before-seen footage that was captured over six years.

The film is expected to screen at selected cinemas from September 19, and promises to give a "raw and often unsettling" look at West's self-destructing behaviour, the impact of his mental illness, his marriage to Kardashian and his anti-Semitic rants.

During the trailer, Kardashian can be heard struggling with her now ex-husband. "Your personality was not like this a few years ago," she says.

The former couple were married from 2014 to 2022 and share four children: North, 12, Saint, 9, Chicago, 7, and six-year-old Psalm. 

West also discusses his religious experience and journey with Jesus.

At some point, he has a meltdown, citing that his creativity is being restricted. 

The trailer also features clips of West’s Sunday Service choir, his unsuccessful presidential campaigns and his bombshell 2020 claim that he and Kardashian had considered an abortion during her pregnancy with North.

At the end, West says: "You know what the best thing about being an artist and bipolar? Anything you do and say is an art piece."

According to online reports, West allowed filmmaker Nico Ballesteros to follow him for years for the upcoming documentary, but he did not have a say in the editing process. 

"While Ye is a central figure in the story, he did not have approval rights over any of the film’s content or editorial decisions, ensuring it remains an independent creative work," the report stated.

Producer Simran A. Singh said in a statement recently: "This film presents a raw and often unsettling portrait, without commentary or conclusion, leaving viewers to interpret the events for themselves.

"Nico was living alongside Ye, camera in hand, not fully knowing what he was capturing or where it would lead, and that’s exactly what makes the footage so powerful."

Singh added: "There was no agenda, no filter; just real, raw moments. Because of that, there’s a level of honesty you don’t usually get in documentaries. As things started to take shape, it became clear that Nico was the only one who could truly tell this story.

"He had the access, but more importantly, he had the perspective. He was inside the chaos but somehow still able to step back and find the story to make a movie."

Watch the trailer below.