Kanye West has officially shed his birth name on Instagram, adopting “Ye” as his new handle.
He announced his decision on Wednesday (February 28) by sharing a screenshot of a direct message exchange with internet personality Justin Laboy, who claimed to have helped him with the process. In the screenshot, Ye wrote: “I’m closing my Kanye West Instagram account. My name is Ye. No brand or numbers gonna force me to call myself what they want me to still be.” He captioned the post, which he later deleted: “Name being changed to Ye on insta shortly.”
Laboy replied: “Instagram has approved […] They just got into the office and called immediately.” He added in another message: “Waiting on info they need to make it happen today.” Ye later confirmed the name change on his Instagram stories.
The name change on Instagram follows his legal name change, which he filed in August 2021, citing “personal reasons”. A Los Angeles judge approved his request in October 2021, making him officially Ye, with no middle or last name.
Ye, 47, had already used the nickname for years and titled his 2018 album with the same name. In a tweet from 2018, he stated: “The being formally known as Kanye West. I am YE.” Explaining the significance of the name, he told radio host Big Boy in 2018 that “‘ye’ is the most commonly used word in the Bible, and in the Bible it means you. So it’s I’m you, I’m us, it’s us.”
The name change comes amidst a series of major events in Ye’s life, including the release of his latest album, “Vultures 1,” with Ty Dolla $ign. The independently released album debuted atop the Billboard 200 and remained there for two consecutive weeks, marking his first album since “Watch The Throne” to achieve this feat. It also earned him his 11th No. 1 album of his career.
