The Kanye West Holding Notepad meme originated in February 2022 when the artist, now known as Ye, posted a series of photos to Instagram to prove his account hadn't been hacked during a public feud. The image features Kanye in a black hoodie holding a yellow legal pad with handwritten text. The internet immediately turned it into a versatile exploitable template, photoshopping various messages onto the pad to make it look like Kanye is making a definitive statement or endorsing a specific cause. It is frequently used to share 'unpopular opinions' or funny announcements as if they were coming directly from Ye himself.