Netflix In Hot Water Over Kanye West Documentary After Woman Files Suit For Exploitation

jeen-yuhs: A Kanye West Trilogy may have been a welcomed walk down memory lane for fans of the Chicago rapper, but for one woman, it made her revisit a dark period in her life.

Cynthia Love, who is filing a lawsuit against Netflix and jeen-yuhs creators Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah, says she was exploited by the directors of West’s “Through The Wire” music video during a time in her life when she was in an “altered state and not capable of providing consent.” The documentary used footage from the video, earning Simmons and Ozah a reported $30 million. Love is seeking a minimum of $30,000 in damages.

The Chicago woman says that she faced issues with addiction at the time the video was recorded but has now been sober for 18 years, according to TMZ. After spending time repairing her relationship with family and friends and building a professional life for herself, Love says the documentary revealed her past to people unaware of her past struggles. Simmons was contacted by Love’s son about his decision to include her footage in the documentary, and he allegedly responded by saying he assumed she was dead, according to TMZ.

“Through The Wire” was the lead single from Kanye West’s debut album, The College Dropout, which has sold four million copies worldwide and earned the rapper the Grammy for Best Rap Album in 2004. The video became a cultural phenomenon following the controversial rapper’s near-death accident, the aftermath of which he chronicled in the visuals. The song itself spent five weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 music charts and is considered, by many, to be one of the most prolific songs in hip-hop history. Featuring cameos from Jay-Z, comedian Deray Davis and West’s late mother, Dr. Donda West, the video was a rap classic at a time when stations dedicated to premiering music videos had heavy airplay.