Kanye West legally changing his name to Ye

Rapper Kanye West has petitioned to legally change his name to 'Ye' citing "personal reasons".

According to Variety, West gave no other explanation about the rechristening in the court documents obtained by the publication.

In order for it to be official, a California judge must sign off, and, in many cases, the name change must be published in several newspapers.

"Ye" also happens to be the 44-year-old Grammy winner's eighth studio album which was released on June 1, 2018.

Months after the album came out, West announced his new name as "YE" on Twitter.

"I am YE (sic)," he wrote on the microblogging site on September 29, 2018.

While the current name on his Twitter and Instagram profiles reads "ye", the handles carry his original name Kanye West.

The rapper is awaiting the release of his new album "Donda", named after his late mother. He is also the founder and head of the creative content company DONDA.