JAY-Z and Kanye West’s now-infamous rivalry is chronicled in the documentary “Public Enemies,” which aired this week on the U.K.’s Channel 4.
The in-depth film doesn’t solely focus on their ongoing troubles. In fact, it delves into each of their childhoods and upbringings. It features previously-unreleased material and interviews with childhood friends, early acquaintances, and even one of Hov’s elementary school teachers, Renee Lowden. “My little Shawn,” she said. “What made JAY-Z special was how bright he was and how adorable he was. He was absolutely adorable.”
DJ Clark Kent, Touré, Tarrey Torae, and Jensen Karp were among the many who were interviewed in this documentary, breaking down JAY and ‘Ye’s career trajectories. The movie also includes music video and interview footage from the former friends, whose falling out was made public last year during Yeezy’s onstage rants.
“When you talk about JAY and Kanye having a sort of public falling out, I would put that more on Kanye going through — for whatever reason — an extraordinarily stressful moment,” said Touré. “Multi-millions in debt, his wife having this potentially life-changing moment where she’s robbed violently in Paris.”
Writer J. Escobedo Shepherd also explains the rivalry in the doc. “JAY, sort of, has historically dismissed Kanye and Kanye’s entire life has been about getting JAY-Z to recognize him,” she said. “It’s this very archetypal father-son/older brother-younger brother relationship.”
Watch the full “Public Enemies” documentary below.