Before his performances on "Saturday Night Live" and after inviting a man to record music in his studio, Kanye West announced he was changing his name.

"The being formally known as Kanye West," the rapper tweeted Saturday morning. "I am YE."

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West, 41, has been called Ye as a nickname for years now, so the change isn’t an extreme one. His last studio album, released in June, is called “Ye.”

At the time of the album's release, West said of its title, "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. 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."

Kanye West tweeted that he has changed his name to Ye.  (Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images)

Credit: Rob Kim

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Credit: Rob Kim

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Instructor Daniel Jean-Baptiste reminds students to "measure twice, cut once" while using a hand saw at the Construction Ready accelerated summer program at Westside Works in Atlanta on Wednesday, June 18, 2025. The program provides training for careers in construction and the skilled trades. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com