Kanye West announces he has changed his name and becomes YE

Kanye West followed in the footsteps of fellow musicians Prince, Diddy and Snoop Dogg by changing his name.

Yeezy's 41-year-old rapper and designer said on Saturday that he would only be known as YE.

"To be officially known as Kanye West. I am YE, he tweeted.

Of course, the name has a lot of symbolism for Kim Kardashian West's husband and father of three, who named his latest album YOU. Not only has the shortened version of Kanye been a nickname for a long time, but the nickname also has a spiritual meaning.

"I believe YE is the most commonly used word in the Bible," he told Real 92.3's Big Boy when promoting his music in June. "In the Bible, it means" you. "Then I am you, I am us, it has gone from Kanye, who is the only one, to just be YE – just a reflection of our good, our bad, our confused I'm just a reflection of who we are. "

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YE also seemed to be anticipating his choice earlier this week, when he released an excerpt of a song from his new album, Yandi.

"I give my slave name / I give my slave name," he sings in the air he played for the employees of fader Thursday.

The 21-time Grammy winner then suggested to two of his three children to do the same. "Saint, you do not really need a last name / North, you do not really need a last name," he said about his 2-year-old son and daughter 5 years old.

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YE's announcement comes hours before its scheduled performance for the first season of Saturday Night Live. His next EP, Yandi, will also fall Saturday night.

Earlier, YE had shared the video of a teen named Nino Blu, who thanked the rapper for inviting him to the studio after hearing him play on the street.

"I'm here with Kanye West," Blu said in the clip. "My birthday was the other day and I just became homeless because the guy at the place where I lived was a little crazy and I live on the street. And Kanye takes me to the studio right now. He heard me rap, he let me rap with him. He says I have good energy and he will show me some rhythms and tricks.

"I feel extremely blessed," continued Blu. "I feel very happy, I feel that God is watching over me right now, I do not have words to describe what's going on, it just feels like a crazy ass miracle. let everyone know that if you have a dream, or if you have something that you feel as if you're pursuing, keep going until you end, you do not know what might potentially be The universe works in a very mysterious way, and I feel extremely lucky for Kanye West to help me with that. "

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Meanwhile, YE's name is not the only change going on. Earlier this month, YE surprised fans by announcing plans to return to Chicago.

"I have to let you know that I'm going back to Chicago," he said in a video obtained by TMZ and filmed at OpenMike, an event organized by his friend Chance the Rapper for high school students. "And I'm never going away again."

The city has a special meaning for YE. Not only was it where he began his career, but he and Kardashian West also christened their youngest child, Chicago, 8 months old, by the name of Windy City.

But as serious as it may seem, a source told People that Kardashian West's wife was not worried about a move to Illinois.

"Kanye, however, tends to change her mind quickly, so she just follows her plans because it makes her happy," the source said. "Next week, something else could make him happier."

Another insider told PEOPLE: "He changes his mind as he changes his undergarments.