Kanye West’s Name Change Is Officially Legally Binding

“Kanye West” is officially a thing of the past, as the rapper has legally changed his name. According to Deadline, on Monday, a judge approved West’s petition to legally change his name to simply, “Ye.” He originally filed this petition in late August. 

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michelle Williams Court approved West’s request, meaning that his legal name is now just “Ye.” The rapper does not have a middle or last name. Prior to this change, West’s full legal name was Kanye Omari West. On Aug. 24 of this year, he filed a petition to legally change his name to “Ye,” which has long been one of his nicknames. It is believed that West wanted to make this change for personal reasons. 

The “Heartless” singer has been a fan of “Ye” for quite some time now. In 2018, West released his eighth studio album, Ye. Around the time that the album was released, West spoke about his fondness for “Ye” and shared the ties that the name has to the Bible. He told radio host Big Boy in 2018, “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.”

While it was reported that he wanted to alter his name for personal reasons, there has still been speculation into why West wanted to make this change now. Many have wondered whether his divorce from Kim Kardashian could have anything to do with the matter. Kardashian filed to divorce West back in February. At the time, the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star asked for joint legal and physical custody of their four kids — North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm. Despite their split, Kardashian still uses her legal surname of West, just as she did when she introduced herself while hosting a recent episode of Saturday Night Live. Additionally, Kardashian and West have been spotted together on numerous occasions over the past few months amid their divorce. The rapper was one of the many individuals who showed Kardashian support when she made her on Oct. 9.