Kanye West files petition to change his name to Ye: “In the Bible it means ‘you’”
Kanye West has filed a petition in a California court to change his legal name to his well-known nickname, Ye.
In documents filed on Tuesday (August 24), and seen by TMZ, if the court approves the name change, West’s full name of Kanye Omari West would be legally changed to the mononym. According to the California Courts website, a court date is expected to be set within the next six to 12 weeks, at which point a judge will make a decision.
The rapper spoke of the planned change during a radio interview in 2018, explaining: “I believe ‘ye’ is the most commonly used word in the Bible, and in the Bible it means you. “So I’m you, I’m us, it’s us.”
West went on to say that his name “went from Kanye, which means the only one, to just Ye – just being a reflection of our good, our bad, our confused, everything.” Footage of the conversation has recently emerged online – watch below.
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Back in 2019, West considered changing his name to ‘Christian Genius Billionaire Kanye West’, but didn’t follow through with the idea.
West’s move to change his name comes ahead of the arrival of his long-teased album, ‘DONDA’. Earlier this month, the rapper’s manager Bu Thiam confirmed the album would be released following the third listening event in Chicago on Thursday (August 26). The event will also be live-streamed on Apple Music.
For the listening event, West is reportedly building a structure resembling the house he grew up in inside the Soldier Field stadium venue. The rapper had purchased his childhood home last year.
The party will be the third of its kind for this year, following two consecutive in-person events in Atlanta earlier this year.