Kanye West’s Letter to Chicago

Kanye West announced on June 26th that he’ll be partnering with shopping mall staple Gap, a full circle move for sure, because Yeezy goes back quite a ways with the brand.

You might remember “Spaceship”, one of the standout tracks on his 2004 debut album, The College Dropout, featured a harrowing tale of alleged khaki theft that occurred during his time working 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
They take me to the back and pat me
Asking me about some khakis…

Now, at the time there was some speculation as to which location Kanye worked at, but he sent Chicago a letter (written on the side of the Magnificent Mile Gap location) that at least clears up which location he used to shop at.

The partnership will bring his YEEZY brand to millions of customers around the world.

According to a press release from Yeezy and Gap, “the YEEZY design studio will develop the new line… with the creative process just getting underway. Additionally, West’s design vision will extend to unique YEEZY Gap expressions in Gap stores and digital channels over time.” Each entity will maintain ownership of their own brand.

The same day that he announced the partnership, Kanye tweeted the video for “Spaceship” (which he didn’t release back in 2004). According to Genius, the video first saw the light of day in 2009. He noted on the post that “THIS IS WHAT WE DREAMED OF BACK THEN.”

Here’s Kanye’s letter in full:

The YEEZY Gap line is expected sometime next year.

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Written by Ayana Contreras

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