Did Ye, fka Kanye West, really change his name to 'Ye Ye'? Viral rumor debunked

The Gold Digger singer, Ye—also known as Kanye West—has recently been making waves online as fans speculated that Ye changed his name to Ye Ye. These rumors arose after some of Ye’s business documents surfaced online.

These filings listed Ye as both the first and last name, which led some to believe his name was now Ye Ye. A representative for Ye addressed the issue with Page Six on Monday and said:

''There is no ‘Ye Ye.''

He also explained that the misunderstanding was due to

“an oddity created by an online form that required something in both first name and last name fields.”

Hence, the viral rumor and speculation that Ye changed his name are false.

Ye or Kanye West did not change his name to Ye Ye

Kanye's representative confirmed that Ye Ye was simply an online form glitch, and he did not change his name. The error appeared in documents under the section that lists the manager or member (the person in charge) of his companies, such as Yeezy Record Label and Yeezy Apparel.

Ye had changed his name legally to Ye back in 2021, after announcing his intention to do so in 2018. He chose the name Ye because it is commonly used in the Bible. In a 2018 interview with Kurt Alexander—also known as Big Boy—Ye explained why he chose that name. As per E! News, he said:

''In the Bible, it means 'you.' 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 confusion, everything."

He continued:

"I wanted something that felt with the energy. Just with the universe was giving me, I wanted to matched that energy."

It was in October 2021 that Los Angeles judge Michelle Williams Court approved Kanye’s name change to Ye, with no middle or last name, after he filed the petition on August 24 of that year.

Before the official name change, Ye had already been calling himself Ye or years. On June 1, 2025, he announced via his X (formerly Twitter) handle that he would be creating a new account under the name Ye. In the tweet, he said:

''Ima finally stop using the @kanyewest twitter cause my name is Ye

Gonna start a ye account and it is what it is.''

Last month, Ye released the song Alive, featuring rapper YoungBoy Never Broke Again, which received a mixed to positive response from fans.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback