Kanye West's chief of staff, Milo Yiannopoulos, has issued a letter demanding that the rapper be referred to as Ye and not his previous name. The letter emphasizes that Ye is a globally recognized figure, comparable to presidents and popes, and the decision to change his name was made deliberately and permanently.
The letter calls on various entities such as streaming platforms, publishers, stores, unions, lyrics websites, and data resellers to update their records to reflect the name change. It highlights that Ye himself has referred to his previous name as his 'slave name' and asserts his right to full self-determination as a black man in America.
This request for the name change comes after a legal process that saw a Los Angeles judge approving Kanye West's name change to Ye over two years ago. West cited 'personal reasons' for the change in court documents filed in August 2021.
Following the release of his album 'Ye' in 2018, Kanye West hinted at his new name by stating that he was 'the being formally known as Kanye West' and declared, 'I am YE.' In an interview later that year, he explained that 'ye' is the most commonly used word in the Bible, meaning 'you,' signifying a reflection of humanity's complexities and experiences.