Can Rappers Truly Retire?
By: Matthew Spence
There comes a time when the music industry can just take a toll on an artist. Maybe they’ve been on top for the longest and what expand their horizons by doing more, maybe it wasn’t too rewarding and they weren’t getting their proper payment and more. They may feel the world and critics didn’t respect their craft. Recently, Logic released his “final” album No Pressure and is retiring from rap. While the news spread like a wildfire in the hip-hop scene, this isn’t a common announcement. Last year in 2019, Nicki Minaj made an announcement of her “retirement” from rap and it brings up the reoccurrence of nothing new from rap artists, but brings up the question: Can rappers really retire from hip-hop? Let’s establish quitting and retiring are two different things and not interchangeable in this context. To Quit, according to Merriam Webster, is “to stop doing; to leave”; while to retire is “to stop a job or career because you have reached the age when you are not allowed to work anymore or do not need to or want to work anymore. But when it comes to rappers and their retirements, it feels more of a long break.
Logic made the big announcement of No Pressure and how it will be his final album. Stating “It’s been a great decade. Now it’s time to be a great father”. Fans and critics were shocked by the announcement (except Joe Budden who celebrated). His reasoning in leaving is a very valid, however, there’s a sense of doubt in this retirement statement. As many rappers have made this claim before and have never stuck with it. Just last year in 2019, Nicki Minaj tweeted in September of 2019:
“I’ve decided to retire and have my family. I know you guys are happy now. To my fans, keep reppin’ me, do it till da death of me. In the box cause nobody checkin’ me. Love you for LIFE”
However in an interview with Billboard, the following month, she clarified her tweet by stating and her future of retirement: “I love music and interacting with fans, so I can’t really see taking myself completely away. But I want to be open to other possibilities in my life,” she said. “I do believe it is important to become a woman outside of the magnifying glass. I have to make sure that I’m well-rounded as a human being.” Just like Logic’s, her reasons are understandable, however for the most part rappers never seem to follow through with these retirement vows.
A famous example of this situation is Jay-Z. At the height of his career, Jay -Z made the major announcement that The Black Album will be his final album and he will officially be retiring. With his roll-out, it’s safe to say he wanted to go out like no other. Capturing the making of the Black Album with the documentary Fade to Black, a tour which involved him selling out Madison Square Garden, and with the final album itself, it feels Jay wanted to have everything to come full circle as if we were watching his life as a movie, we’re witnessing the resolution of the Story of Shawn Carter. From having his mom on the first opening track “December 4th”, to having production from the biggest producers and frequent collaborators of that time including Eminem, the Neptunes, Kanye West, and Timbaland. Leaving and take over the role of President of Def Jam Records, Jay was willing to give fans a treat and give artists features such as Kanye West on the “Diamonds From Sierra Leone Remix”. However, in 2006, he didn’t keep that vow, he released his comeback album Kingdom Come. Continuing his career, he has to date released 5 more studio albums since then, and if not, 7, if you count the two collab albums he released with Kanye West (Watch the Throne, 2011) and Beyonce (Everything is Love, 2018). In a 2007 XXL interview, he explained his thoughts on the retirement stance:
“I want to never say that again,”. “Just make the albums, man. And if one-day people wake up and it’s four years later, and you haven’t made another, they go, ‘Wait a minute, you’re retired!’ I think that’s best for me.”
And further explained:
“I think I pulled the retirement ripcord too many times. People looking at me like, ‘Please shut up.’ I was looking at (his retirement movie) ‘Fade to Black’ the other day. I was embarrassed. I couldn’t watch. I’m not playing with you. I had to turn it off,” he said. “I was cringing.”
On the other Jay may be the most famous example, but certainly wasn’t the first to do so. Legendary West Coast rapper, Too $hort: In 1996, Too Short announced after his retirement and that Gettin’ It will be his last album unless he gets paid. In a 2018 documentary 3 Decades Of Game, he explained his retirement situation after being asked about it:
“To use the word ‘retirement’ was my way of to just let them know how serious I am.” Comparing the Hip-Hop game to Sports politics, the Dangerous Crew leader explains the method behind the madness. “It’s like a free agency. When your contract is up, you go to the highest bidder [to get] the best deal. That’s all I’m saying. Don’t even think about what’s in advance. I’m telling you what’s in advance. I want the [million] or nothing. I’ll kick back and not rap anymore if I can’t get paid. If I gotta go for the same deal that they offer us on the come up, I’m not going for that. I want the Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson money.”
However, some exceptions can be made. A big example Joe Budden, now the host of his successful podcast “The Joe Budden Podcast” and REVOLTS “State of the Culture”, announced his retirement. In an interview with Vibe in 2018, Joe explained the idea of him retiring: ”I don’t know if I was ever comfortable with the idea. I had to condition myself to even pretend to appear comfortable. Early on, it was real tough for me to stick to my guns and say “I’m retired, I’m not rapping, don’t ask me for nothing.” But I had to do that because I love rapping and I love music, so if I don’t do that, you can’t be halfway in it and halfway out. If you’re in it and you love it, you’re right back in it. That took a lot, I can’t say that I was ever really comfortable doing it. I don’t know if I was ever comfortable with the way it sounded when it rolled off my tongue. People didn’t really understand my vision of where I was trying to go, and now people understand in hindsight, but that comfort comes with time.”
And he soon explains: “….I’m not in a rush to go write them. I kind of enjoy the fact that I don’t have to write anything. For so long, we had to write to pay a bill, we had to write in many instances where maybe you weren’t even inspired to write because it was your job. That’s how passion, creativity, and love gets killed. I kind of re-gained love in retirement, if that makes any sense.”
While Joe Budden has stuck to his vow so far, retiring in hip-hop has become a little white lie a rapper would tell the fans. However on the other hand, oftentimes leaving rap for other ventures is fine without putting a label on the whole situation. Grammy Award Winner Chamillionaire, after releasing his 2nd album in 2007, he went on to have plenty of successful business ventures, including getting involved in projects at Silicon Valley, while also disappearing from the mainstream’s eye. In an interview with HipHopDX from 2019, he elaborated on his absence from the music industry: “There were a lot of things in the music industry that really didn’t line up with me, but I don’t think I’ve left the music industry. People always tell me I’m retired. I never said I was retired.” I still feel like I’m going to get music whenever I want, on my own terms, when I have something to say, “
While many circumstances and factors come into play of an artist to retire or quit. Do rappers truly leave music and don’t come back? For the most part, not necessarily. Sure, Joe Budden is an exception but let’s not forget we’re only two years into his retirement, so who knows what may happen next year or in 2022. Chamillionaire released a couple of EPs last decade, no matter what, the music may still call them to the studio. Leaving behind the passion that changed your life, maybe a difficult task and can be accomplished but at some point, passion and fans will call you back. One thing is for sure, retirement in hip-hop is the equivalent to a vacation.
