Before They Made It

The humble beginnings of some of today's most popular artists.

Stardom isn’t guaranteed. For many artists, the path to success is a winding one, rather than a straight trajectory. Ye’s “Spaceship”recalled his days working at the Gap, and when his now-defunct collaboration with the brand first debuted, he brought things full circle by wrapping the company’s Chicago store on the Magnificent Mile with an open letter talking about he would drive his Nissan from the South Side to shop there.