Kanye West has compared himself to a president and the Pope in a letter demanding that media outlets and everyone else refer to him by his new name.
The letter, composed by West’s chief of staff, Milo Yiannopoulos, begs music industry stalwarts—including streaming services, publishers, lyrics websites and more—to strictly adhere to the artist’s new moniker.
Yiannopoulos’ letter reveals the depth of the rapper’s decision, portraying it as a move of colossal importance. It sheds light on the artist’s rationale and delineates the stakes involved.
“He didn’t take the decision to change his name, potentially sacrificing some of the immense value captured by the brand ‘Kanye West,’ lightly,” the letter reads. “The change was made fully, legally, and permanently. This is who he is now. His name is Ye.”
The letter serves as both an appeal for respect toward West’s newly affirmed identity and a directive for the music industry to update its records and platforms accordingly.
It’s a move that points to West’s personal journey and taps into a more extensive discourse on naming traditions, cultural identity and power dynamics.
“He has on several occasions referred to it as his slave name,” Yiannopoulos added. “Ye is a black man in America who wants the right to full self-determination just like everyone else.”
West’s request comes after his official name change was greenlit by a Los Angeles judge in October 2021, a transition that the artist has been vocal about since 2018.
It encapsulates a desire to dissociate from the brand “Kanye West” — a name synonymous with musical innovation, fashion entrepreneurship, and myriad public controversies — to align more closely with his personal evolution and artistic ethos.
