Parler parent Parlement Technologies said on Monday that it will be acquired by rapper Kanye West, who legally changed his name to simply Ye last year. A popular app among conservatives, Parler said it expects the deal to close during the fourth quarter of 2022. It did not give a deal value.

“In a world where conservative opinions are considered to be controversial we have to make sure we have the right to freely express ourselves,” Ye said in a statement.

Ye’s Instagram and Twitter accounts have been restricted before, most recently this month when social media platforms removed his posts that online users condemned as anti-Semitic.

The American rapper, formerly known as Kanye West, had announced in 2020 that he would run for US President in an apparent challenge to former US President Donald Trump, but later pulled out.

Last month Parler created a new parent company, Parlement Technologies as part of an overhaul.

West last month ended a partnership with apparel company Gap, saying it failed to meet its obligations under the contract.

Reuters reported last month that Parler was returning to the Google Play store over a year it was removed by the search giant following the US Capitol Riots of January 2021. The social media app, which was launched in 2018 as an alternative to other social media platforms like Twitter, has gained traction from supporters of former US President Donald Trump.

At the time, a Google spokesperson had told Reuters that the app had been updated with an option to block abusive users and remove content that might incite violence. The app had been substantially modified to comply with Play Store’s policies before it returned to the Google Play store.

© Thomson Reuters 2022