Kanye Omari West has filed legal documents in Los Angeles to formally change his name to Ye, TMZ reports.
Kanye previously told Fast Company’s Mark Wilson in 2019 that he might temporarily change his name to “Christian Genius Billionaire Kanye West” so that people “understand exactly what it is.”
In 2018, the multi-hyphenate took to Twitter to write, “the being formally known as Kanye West.” He continued, “I am YE.”
Ye is also of course the title of Kanye’s eighth studio album, which dropped back in 2018.
“I believe ‘ye’ is the most commonly used word in the Bible, and in the Bible, it means ‘you,’” Kanye told Big Boy while they were in Wyoming for the listening party for Ye. “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 confusion, everything. The album is more of a reflection of who we are.”
The news of the official name change request arrives as the 44-year-old Kanye Ye has been gearing up to hold another Donda listening party at Chicago’s Soldier Field this coming Thursday, August 26th. Rolling Stone reports that the upcoming event will not require attendees to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test upon entry. The album listening event will also feature a recreation of Ye’s childhood home that will be positioned in the middle of the stadium.
Speaking of Ye’s 10th studio album, no official update on when Donda will hit streaming services has been released. Ye’s last album was 2019’s Jesus Is King, which won Best Contemporary Christian Music Album at the Grammys.
Kanye wants to drop the “West” from his name altogether, which is surprising given his love for his family. Meanwhile, his ex-wife Kim Kardashian is still using “West” in her surname.”
Kanye isn’t the first rapper to change his name. Earlier this year, Diddy legally changed his middle name to “Love.”
Amid his reignited feud with Drake, Ye is set to host a third listening party for his album DONDA at Chicago’s Soldier Field on Thursday evening. He has recreated his childhood home in the middle of the stadium for the event.
