HOLLYWOOD—What’s in a name? The phrase comes from Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet:” That which we call a rose any other name would smell as sweet. Our names are an incredibly important part of our identity. They carry deep personal, cultural, familial and historical connections. They also give us a sense of who we are, the communities in which we belong and our place in the world.
Kanye West is now known as Ye, officially. A Los Angeles judge granted the rapper’s name change request, a communications officer at the Los Angeles Superior Court confirmed. The 44-yar-old star filed the request in August citing “personal reasons.” The rapper, best known for hits such a “Gold Digger” and “Stronger,” already used Ye as a nickname and in 2018 used it as an album title.
Shortly after the album’s release, he tweeted “The being formally known as Kanye West. I am Ye.” Now, he’s made it official and his previous name Kanye Omari West is no more. While his Twitter handle was already Ye, his Instagram account and website were still using his previous name as of October 19.
Ye, are the two last letters of Kanye, it has a religious significance for him. He believes “ye” is the most commonly word in the Bible, and in the Bible it means you. It went from being Kanye, which means the only one, to just being Ye being a reflection of our good, our bad, our everything. Ye released his latest album Donda in August, featuring 27 tracks with a running time of two hours.
He then claimed his label, Universal Music Group had released his much delayed 10th studio album without his approval. Other artists such as Prince, Snoop Dog and Sean Love Combs have all changed their names over the years, some even several times. Ye hit the headlines earlier this year after his split up with wife of nearly seven years, Kim Kardashian. Very Hollywood, since usually celebrity marriages only last seven years.
The couple, who have four children together, are among the most recognizable in the world. Their marriage was one of the most closely followed celebrity partnerships in decades. Kanye has agreed to joint custody of his four young children. In both of their filings, the US rapper and the TV reality star agreed that their marriage should end over irreconcilable differences. They have also agreed that they do not need spousal support.
West and Kardashian have two daughters-North and Chicago, age seven and three- and two sons- Saint, five, and Psalm, who turns two next month. According to Kardashian’s filing, they kept their property separate throughout their marriage because of the terms of a pre-nuptial agreement. Kardashian, 40, found fame in 2007 as the star of the reality show about her family, “Keeping Up With The Kardashians.”
The show has remained popular since then and its series concluded on June 20, 2021, after 20 seasons. According to published reports, her multiple business ventures-including makeup, shapewear and mobile apps-saw her gain billionaire status. She is now one of the 2,755 figures on Forbes World’s Billionaire’s List. West, 43, is one of the biggest names in rap music. He has also found success as a fashion designer. Last year, West unsuccessfully ran for US President.
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