Kanye West combines MLK, Louis Vuitton for new moniker

It's one of those slow news days. The kind of day when you're thankful that Kanye West (and his inimitable flair for the unpredictable) exists. Today is one of the days when you ask yourself: Is Kanye West really combining the names of one of America's greatest civil rights leaders and a fashion designer, then apparently using that name as his own?

It appears the answer is affirmative. Maybe.

After West debuted his sneakers earlier this month at Paris Fashion Week he posted a video blog where he stated: "Oh hey world. As you can see I'm in Paris, chilling -- due to transactions early this week, I have some very grim news. I have some very grim news. I know I've been called the Louis Vuitton Don... I've been called a lot of names...Due to what happened, so severely, when the red shoes hit the runway, I was forced to change my name to Martin Louis Vuitton the King, Jr. Address me as such."

This isn't the first time that West has said something controversial. Remember good ol' "Bush doesn't care about black people?" Or, how about the time he earned a spoof on Mind of Mencia for telling Playboy, "But I think if there was a bible written today...I'd be one of the characters in it."

Of course, there's a long history of musicians changing their names to reinvent themselves. Prince changed his name to that symbol. Then there's Sean "Puff Daddy/P. Diddy/Diddy/etc." Combs. Ol' Dirty Bastard's real name is Russell Tyrell Jones and he went through a period where he preferred to be called Big Baby Jesus. Maybe Kanye's following in this rich tradition? Or maybe he's just simply being Kanye. We'll be sure to keep you posted.