Kanye West, visionary fashion designer, industry-defining rapper, and legendary sneaker producer, has finally completed something he has long teased his fans around, he has officially and legally changed his name to the simple two-letter “Ye”. Ye has gone by this nickname for some time now and tweeted about his intent to swap back in 2018 when he announced himself as “the being formally [sic] known as Kanye West. I am Ye.” Ye was also the title of his 2018 studio album and he has regularly used it to refer to himself since.
He has now successfully changes his name to Ye legally after a Los Angeles court approved his application, which cited “personal reasons” behind the requested change. Born Kanye Omari West, he will now forever be known simply as Ye with no middle or last name. It will remain this way unless he should decide to change again.
In a 2018 interview with the radio host known as Big Boy, Ye told fans that the name wasn’t just a shortened version of his own, it has important biblical roots to him:
“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.”
This won’t be much of a transition for the famous rapper or his fans. He has spent years now building up to this moment and so this is more of an expected conclusion rather than a shock reveal. Ye has been his handle on social media for most of this time, and he has spoken openly about his desire to change it regularly.
And, of course, if there weren’t enough signs about his upcoming change already, there’s his globally influential sneaker brand, Yeezys. Yeezy sneakers launched in 2015 and has since delivered multiple iconic silhouettes with a signature chunky style and colourways ranging from neutrally toned, mottled themes to bright, flashy, and vivid designs. Yeezys have a sneaker for every occasion, and Ye’s outlandish and unique designs have earned the Yeezy brand a top spot in the sneaker world in just a few years.