Kanye West Legally Changes Name to “Ye”

Back in August, Kanye West filed to change his name to a long-standing nickname: Ye. Now, the paperwork has been approved: The musician born Kanye Omari West will be known legally as Ye, according to Deadline, Rolling Stone, and TMZ. Pitchfork has reached out to Ye’s representatives and lawyer for comment and more information.

Ye hinted at his eventual name change all the way back in 2018. “The being formally known as Kanye West. I am YE,” he tweeted. The post arrived mere months after the rapper released his 2018 studio album Ye.

Also in 2018, Ye told LA’s Real 92 radio host Big Boy, “I believe ‘ye’ is the most commonly used word in the Bible. In the Bible it means you. So, I’m you. And I’m us. It’s us. It went from being Kanye, which means the only one to just Ye, just being a reflection of our good, our bad, our confused—everything. It’s more of a reflection of who we are [as] beings.”