The 44-year-old eccentric rapper has cited ‘personal reasons’ for the change.
Kanye Omari West has filed papers to officially change his name and could soon be formally known as just ‘Ye’ with no middle name or last name according to Los Angeles Superior Court documents obtained by The Associated Press.
The rapper filed the petition earlier this month but it was not sent into the court system until Tuesday of this week and now awaits the approval of a judge. In the court documents, West cited ”personal reasons” for the change.
Kanye West has been recognized as ‘Ye’ for some time and previously announced the name change back in 2018 via his Twitter account when he wrote “the being formally known as Kanye West. I am Ye”.
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/1046064289944080388
As well as releasing an album in 2018 titled ‘Ye’, the moniker dates back to his hit single “Clique” released in September 2012. The track, with Jay-Z and Big Sean, namedrops several celebrities and musical artists including a verse from Jay Z which begins “Yeah, I’m talking Ye”.
However, the Chicago-raised rapper, producer, and presidential hopeful has previously stated that the nickname is not just an abbreviation of his first name but also has religious significance for him. In an interview with Big Boy back in 2018, when asked why the album was titled ‘Ye’ Kanye West explained “I believe ‘ye’ is the most commonly used word in the Bible, and in the Bible it means ‘you’. So I’m you, I’m us, it’s us. It went from Kanye, which means the only one, to just Ye – just being a reflection of our good, our bad, our confused, everything.
Looks like Kanye is building a replica of his childhood home in the middle of Chicago's Soldier Field.
Donda West purchased the South Shore house in the 1980s and sold it in 2004. Last year, Kanye bought it back for $225,000. pic.twitter.com/p8Utayxw37
— Pigeons & Planes (@PigsAndPlans) August 24, 2021
Kanye West is expected to release his tenth studio album, Donda, after this Thursday’s Kanye West Presents: The Donda Album Experience at Soldier Field.
Named for his late mother, Donda West, West’s much-anticipated tenth album has had multiple release dates since its original expected release in July of last year. Responding to comments on his Instagram post, West’s agent, Abou “Bu” Thiam then also revealed that the album would “absolutely” be released after the event. A listing on Apple Music appears to give credence to Thiam’s comments.