The rapper Kanye West has started the process to officially be known only by his monosyllabic nickname, “Ye.”
West got the ball rolling Tuesday to legally change his name from Kanye Omari West to Ye with no middle or last name, according to documents seen by the Associated Press.
Per the process of applying for a name change in the California legal system, a judge will have to approve West’s application by court decree before West can legally be known as Ye. This process could take up to three months.
There are no known restrictions that could prevent West from being called Ye once a judge signs off on his application. California simply requires that names be formed from the 26 letters of the English alphabet.
West has consistently called himself Ye on his social-media pages, particularly after he tweeted his desire to be known by the moniker in 2018.
“The being formally known as Kanye West … I am YE,” the rapper tweeted in September 2018.
In a 2018 interview with the radio host Big Boy, he also explained the meaning of the word Ye and why he liked it.
“I believe ‘ye’ is the most commonly used word in the Bible, and in the Bible, it means ‘you,'” the rapper 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.”
“Ye” also happens to be the title of West’s 2018 album.
West’s representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
West split from Kim Kardashian West on February 19 after seven years of marriage. He has asked for joint custody of their four children, though they will no longer share the same last name if his application to be called Ye goes through.
In the meantime, he is gearing up for the release of his long-awaited album “Donda.”
Billboard reported this week that West was building a replica of his childhood home at the Soldier Field stadium in Chicago for the third “Donda” listening party, scheduled to take place Thursday. The album is due to be released Friday.
