Britain’s BBC is set to host a documentary and eight-part podcast about the cultural reckoning over the life and career of rapper turned fashion mogul Kanye “Ye” West.
With the working title We Need to Talk About Kanye, the BBC Two film will be produced by investigative journalist Mobeen Azhar, who explored Britney Spears’ conservatorship in another documentary, The Battle for Britney.
An eight-part podcast series The Kanye Story, from U.K. producer Forest Sounds, will also be released along with the documentary, which comes as the music artist has sparked controversy with recent comments that have been condemned for being anti-Semitic.
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Against that backdrop, Azhar will look to reassess West’s place in popular culture as his music and business success have been accompanied by condemnation and notoriety, the BBC said in its announcement.
In October 2022, West made numerous comments about Jewish people on multiple platforms, including a since-deleted tweet on Oct. 8. In response, Meta imposed a restriction on West’s Instagram account and content had been removed following a post, now removed, which users criticized as being anti-Semitic.
West also made controversial comments on Tucker Carlson Tonight, and Vice later reported on purportedly leaked, unaired portions that included more anti-Semitic comments. We Need to Talk About Kanye is produced for BBC Music and will be distributed by Abacus Media Rights.
The executive producers are Catey Sexton and Jez Lee, while Laura Kaye will produce alongside director Stefan Mattison. The BBC has yet to set a release date for the documentary and podcast series, which will host guests talking about West’s life and his place in popular culture.
