Kanye West has reportedly asked people to stop using his “slave name” and instead refer to him by his chosen name.
The ‘Flashing Lights’ rapper’s actions ensure he’s always in the headlines.
From his widely publicized divorce from Kim Kardashian to his brief, viral romance with Julia Fox, and now the intrigue surrounding his new “wife,” Bianca Censori, Kanye West has mastered the art of keeping the world’s attention fixed on him.
Now, it’s Kanye West’s name that’s sparking discussions.
West’s unusual request has sparked plenty of reactions online.
One user commented: “That’s fine, I actually respect what people wish to be referred to as, whether it’s gender or name—that’s not a problem. But I’m still not a fan of his antics.”
Another person remarked, “I’m sad that people don’t understand what he’s talking about.”
Meanwhile, West’s chief of staff, Milo Yiannopoulos, has issued a formal letter demanding that the rapper be referred to by his chosen name.
In the letter obtained by Page Six, West is described as “one of the most recognizable people in the world, on par with presidents and popes.”
The letter also states that the Stronger rapper “didn’t take the decision to change his name lightly” and is “potentially sacrificing some of the immense value captured by his name.”
This isn’t the first time West’s name change has made headlines. His petition to legally change his name to the mononym Ye was approved by a Los Angeles court in 2021, as reported by TMZ. Notably, he no longer has a middle name either.
Since then, the rapper’s name has been used interchangeably by the media, but Milo Yiannopoulos is pushing for that practice to end.
Yiannopoulos revealed that he is contacting “streaming platforms, publishers, stores, unions, lyrics websites, and data resellers” to enforce the name change, targeting these outlets as some of “the most visible places” where the rapper’s name appears.
West previously discussed the reason behind his name change during an interview with BigBoyTV, 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.”
The artist explained 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.”
Following the release of his 2018 eponymous album, Ye, West hinted at his new identity on X, formerly Twitter, declaring that he was “the being formally known as Kanye West.”
He ended the post simply: “I am YE.”
