Kanye West has reportedly changed his name for the second time. The hip hop icon who recently made headlines for his contentious 2025 release, WW3, is reportedly using his new name in the business documents.
What is Kanye West’s new name?
Kanye West has reportedly changed his name to Ye Ye in 2025. The hip-hop star was referred to as “Ye Ye” in new documents filed by his chief financial officer, Hussain Lalani (via US Weekly).
West has not publicly revealed any details regarding his name change. However, the “Jesus is King” maker recently shared on X (formerly Twitter) that he would stop using the account that goes by Kanye West.
He explained, “Ima finally stop using the @kanyewest twitter cause my name is Ye. Gonna start a ye account and it is what it is.” The “Donda” maker is yet to launch his new X account. But his Instagram account only features the username “Ye.”
Earlier in 2018, West changed his name for the first time. The artist introduced his new moniker “Ye.” The Grammy-winning rapper also used “Ye” as the official title of his eighth studio album, released in the same year.
Divulging the reason for his name change, West said that he wanted a name that would “match” his energy. The “Gold Digger” hitmaker noted, “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 (via Billboard).
It went from Kanye, which means the only one, to just Ye — just being a reflection of our good, our bad, our confused, everything. The album is more of a reflection of who we are.”
In the same year, West also addressed his name change on social media. The artist posted on X, “The being formally known as Kanye West. I am YE.” It took West another three years to legally change his name. In 2021, a judge in Los Angeles County Court reportedly signed off on his petition to officially change his name.
Additionally, Ye revealed why he shut down his Kanye West Instagram account in 2024. Talking to Justin Laboy in a message, the rapper explained his decision. “I’m closing my Kanye West Instagram account. My name is Ye,” he wrote. “No brand or numbers gonna force me to call myself what they want me to still be” (via Rap-Up).
