Kanye West Has Filed to Change His Legal Name to "Ye"

Kanye West has informally been known as "Ye" for a while now, but the rapper wants to make it official. According to The Guardian, 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 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, to put things mildly.

The musician had explained the meaning of his chosen moniker in a radio interview that year (via Billboard). "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 on Aug. 27. In one song off the album, heard at a recent listening party, the rapper claims ex-wife Kim Kardashian is "still in love with" him. Kardashian filed for divorce from West back in February. The two share four children: North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm.