Kanye West Files to Officially Change His Name to ‘Ye’ While Rebuilding His Childhood Home On Soldier Field for ‘Donda’ Listening Party

On August 24, Kanye West filed court documents to the Los Angeles Superior Court to change his legal name. According to the documents, the 44-year-old rapper would like to forgo his legal full name—Kanye Omari West—to just ‘Ye.’ The papers cite “personal reasons” for the change.

The nickname served as the title of his 2018 album. In past interviews, he mentioned that he likes that the word is used throughout the Bible. West has referred to himself as such on social media for several years and even tweeted in 2018 “the being formally known as Kanye West. I am YE.”

Pending approval by a judge, the change would remove his middle name and his last name, which he shares with his four children—North, Chicago, Saint, and Psalm. West is in the middle of a divorce with Kim Kardashian West, who did not ask that her last name be changed back to just Kardashian when she filed divorce papers in February.

The court filing comes days ahead of his forthcoming, highly anticipated tenth studio album, Donda. The artist has held a series of listening parties, leading up to the release —scheduled for the end of August. The album is a tribute to his late mother, Donda, who died in 2007.  The album, which already has been played at two separate listening parties in Atlanta, is reportedly going to be released following his Thursday (August 26) Soldier Field performance.

Cryptic social media photos suggest he is rebuilding his 1,400 square foot Chicago childhood home for the special performance. After clearing his past Instagrams, West posted a photo of the house where he was raised by his single mother. The photo is strikingly similar to the footage captured of construction going on at Soldier Field ahead of the album event.