Netflix buys Kanye West documentary series for a reported $30 million

The multi-part part series, filmed over 20 years, is expected to be released later this year

The Kanye West docuseries will be directed by Clarence Simmons and Chike Ozah, who directed and produced the rapper's music videos 'Jesus Walks (Version 3)' and 'Through the Wire'. AP

Netflix has acquired a documentary series based on the life of rapper Kanye West for a reported $30 million.

According to industry website Billboard, the multi-part series will chronicle West's life over the past 20 years, covering his career in music and fashion, his failed 2020 presidential bid, and the death of his mother, Donda West.

The series will be directed by Clarence Simmons and Chike Ozah, better known as Coodie & Chike, who directed and produced West's 2004 music videos Jesus Walks (Version 3) and Through the Wire. Simmons originally started filming West in the 1990s during his days in Chicago, and the film traces his relationship with the rapper throughout the years, according to Billboard.

Meanwhile a source told Variety magazine that the $30m price tag was inaccurate. Neither the filmmakers nor Netflix have commented on the terms of the acquisition.

West, whose debut album The College Dropout received critical and commercial acclaim in 2004, has become one of pop culture's most influential, and often divisive, figures. He also dabbles in fashion design with his Yeezy trainers and apparel line, a collaboration with adidas valued at at $3.2 billion to $4.7bn, said Bloomberg.

Forbes magazine declared the rapper a billionaire in April 2020, with West's personal net worth now estimated at $6.6bn, made up of his lucrative brand partnerships, his Yeezy business, stocks, shares and assets, and his music back catalogue.

The rapper has recently been in the news for his impending divorce from Kim Kardashian. The couple, famously dubbed Kimye, got married in 2014 and have four children. It's not clear whether the Netflix documentary will address the divorce.

The as-yet-untitled film is expected to be released later this year.