Kanye West has informally been known as "Ye" for a while now, but the rapper wants to make it official. According to The Guardian (opens in new tab), he has legally filed with the Los Angeles Superior Court to do away with "Kanye Omari West" and replace it with the much more succinct "Ye," for "personal reasons." A judge now has to approve the request before the name change can actually happen.
In a famous tweet (opens in new tab) posted in 2018, West had written, "the being formally known as Kanye West I am YE." This came a few months after the release of his album ye, which was received with skepticism (opens in new tab), to put things mildly.
the being formally known as Kanye West I am YESeptember 29, 2018
The musician had explained the meaning of his chosen moniker in a radio interview that year (via Billboard (opens in new tab)). "I believe 'ye' is the most commonly used word in the Bible, and in the Bible it means 'you,'" he said. "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. The album is more of a reflection of who we are."
West is currently in the process of promoting his latest album, Donda, which is set to be released (opens in new tab) on Aug. 27. In one song off the album (opens in new tab), heard at a recent listening party, the rapper claims ex-wife Kim Kardashian is "still in love with" him. Kardashian filed for divorce (opens in new tab) from West back in February. The two share four children: North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm.
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