Music mogul Ye issued a blunt message to the press this week, telling media outlets that the time has come to fully recognize his legal name. The advisory arrived March 10, shortly after Ye delivered nearly three hours of testimony in a workplace violations lawsuit filed by former employee Tony Saxon during a hearing at the Los Angeles County Superior Court.
The memo reads as a call-out to the media companies that still refer to the rapper by his former name. Ye reminded outlets that his identity change was announced years ago and formally approved by a California court.
“MEDIA ADVISORY IT HAS BEEN SEVEN YEARS SINCE THE ARTIST FORMERLY KNOWN AS KANYE WEST ANNOUNCED THAT HENCEFORWARD HIS NAME WOULD BE YE,” the statement says.
Ye legally changed his name from Kanye West to Ye in 2021. His team argues that the media ecosystem has had plenty of time to update credits, archives, and databases.
“THIS IS MORE THAN ENOUGH TIME FOR MEDIA COMPANIES, SEARCH ENGINES, RECORD LABELS, DSPS, RETAILERS, LYRICS WEBSITES, PUBLISHERS AND OTHERS TO UPDATE THEIR RECORDS AND SYSTEMS TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF THE CHANGE,” the memo continues.
The statement also frames the issue as one tied to identity and respect. Ye’s representatives emphasize the artist’s global visibility and say the name change should be treated as permanent.
Ye To The Media: “Stop Calling Me Kanye West”
“YE IS ONE OF THE MOST RECOGNIZABLE PEOPLE IN THE WORLD, ON PAR WITH PRESIDENTS AND POPES. THIS CHANGE WAS MADE FULLY, LEGALLY, AND PERMANENTLY. THIS IS WHO HE IS NOW. HIS NAME IS YE.”
The advisory ends with a warning directed at outlets that continue using his former name. Representatives for Yeezy LLC say cooperation may end if the directive is ignored.
“YEEZY LLC WILL NO LONGER CO-OPERATE WITH OR PROVIDE COMMENT OR CONFIRMATION TO MEDIA OUTLETS THAT REFUSE TO USE HIS LEGAL NAME,” the memo states.
He continued: “A DELIBERATE AFFRONT, A RACIST OFFENSE AND A DENIAL OF YE’S AGENCY AND SELF-DETERMINATION.”
The message signals a stricter media policy from Ye’s camp as the artist navigates both legal scrutiny and public perception.
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