Kanye West has been making headlines as of late. For starters, he’s yet to release his latest album, Donda, despite telling fans it would come out in July. Then, he established a new home-sweet-home for himself: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta (where he’s also been intermittently throwing listening parties for Donda). Now, he’s off to his next wild endeavor: Reportedly, Kanye West filed to change his name to Ye legally. For real!
If you’re a West stan, then you already know all about the “Violent Crimes” rapper-producer’s long-time nickname, Ye, which is short for Yeezy. The moniker not only inspired his famous Yeezy fashion label, but the name of West’s 2013 studio album, Yeezus. Oh, and his 2018 LP was literally titled Ye.
Needless to say, the 44-year-old rapper takes the whole nickname thing rather seriously — so when reports started swirling that West is *officially* changing his name to Ye, it wasn’t the biggest surprise ever. Still, you have to wonder if he’s actually going to go through with it.
Turns out he’s reportedly very serious about the name switch. TMZ reported the hip-hop legend recently filed legal documents with a Los Angeles court, requesting that his full name, Kanye Omari West, be replaced by his proposed, super simple moniker: Ye.
This isn’t the first time West has expressed interest in legitimately changing his name. In September 2018 — just months after he dropped Ye the album — he made a tweet implying his current legal name was merely a formality. “The being formally known as Kanye West... I am YE,” he said.
Obviously, West isn’t the first rapper with multiple recognizable names (although I’m still confused by that one era in which Snoop Dogg became Snoop Lion). Celebs legally change their names all the time — take Miley Cyrus, who legally changed her given name of Destiny Hope to her then-stage name Miley Ray.
However, it is very unusual — and possibly even unheard of — for a celebrity to legally drop their last name altogether, which makes me wonder if this whole Ye thing will pan out. Whether the paperwork goes through or not, this move will at least get fans talking ahead of Kanye’s new album. Err, I mean, Ye!