The Truth About Kanye West's Time Working At The Gap

Kanye West has been making headlines throughout his entire career so far. He is known far and wide for his award-winning music, his brief presidential run, and, of course, as the former husband of the reality TV superstar, Kim Kardashian.

Although incredibly successful today, West had to work hard to make a name for himself. According to Biography, the rapper moved to China at the age of 10 with his mother, Donda, after she landed a job there as a university teacher. The pair eventually returned to the United States, moving to Chicago where West became involved in the South Side's hip-hop scene. The Grammy Award-winner later graduated from Polaris High School and won a scholarship to study at Chicago's American Academy of Art. However, it wasn't long before West dropped out to pursue music and follow his dreams on his own.

In between his year abroad and his turn in college, West was just like any other teen, and worked a part-time job at the clothing retailer, The Gap. 

In 2004, Kanye West released his debut album "The College Dropout," which was four years in the making and produced solely by the artist himself (via Capital Xtra). The album track "Spaceship" made reference to West's time as a teen working at The Gap, with the lyrics lamenting how he never made enough there. "Let's go back, back to The Gap. Look at my check — wasn't no scratch So if I stole, wasn't my fault. Yeah, I stole — never got caught," the lyrics read(via Genius). 

Writing for Paper Magazine back in 2015, the rapper again referenced his time working at The Gap, revealing that, although he loved the clothes, he couldn't afford to actually shop there. 

"When I was working at the Gap at 15, I don't think I had any desire to actually make clothes, but I always felt like that's what I wanted to be around. I loved the fabrics, I loved the colors, I loved the proportions," West explained. "Abercrombie was too expensive for me and the Gap was too expensive for me. Even though I worked at the Gap, I didn't get enough hours to get a discount because I was a part-time employee, because I went to high school."