More than ever before, we continue to see more rappers move on from music as they age. However, the hip-hop community has seen many of its biggest stars retire, only to come back and release more music. While the threat of retirement often comes across as a marketing tactic, some rappers have genuinely expressed frustrations with the music industry, wanting to transition to other ventures, or simply move on and spend time with their families. Still, very few rappers have actually stuck to their commitment of never releasing music again.
Most recently, Lil Pump announced his retirement from music in hopes of becoming an astronaut. His statement was largely met with jokes on social media, many of which were about the mental image of Lil Pump as an astronaut. But also because rappers rarely commit to retiring.
This is a list of seven rappers who retired but later returned to making music. These selections exclude the many examples of rappers toying with the idea of retiring but not actually following through. Each artist on this list explicitly retired from music and later came back. Listed in no particular order, take a look at the list below.
7. Malice
Malice retired from rap in pursuit of becoming a changed man through his devotion to Christianity. The Clipse member’s short-lived solo career saw him diverting from street raps to bars dedicated to his faith, changing his name to No Malice. He later returned from retirement to release one more solo album. However, in recent times, he has reunited with his brother Pusha T as the Clipse. From his 2019 appearance on Kanye West's Jesus Is King to recent outings on Nigo's "Punch Bowl" and Pusha T's It's Almost Dry highlight, "I Pray For You," No Malice is back with his original rap name and seems to be gearing up for the first Clipse album since 2009.
6. Jean Grae
Jean Grae had repeatedly expressed frustrations with the music industry, causing her to announce that she was retiring. In 2008, she shared a post on MySpace bidding farewell to the music industry, only to return the following year.
In 2018, Jean Grae released the critically acclaimed Everything’s Fine, a collaborative album with her husband, Quelle Chris. She has since focused her talents on comedy and other forms of media. However, she continues to unleash new music on Bandcamp.
Read More: Stream Jean Grae’s “iSweaterGawd”
5. Yasiin Bey
The artist formerly known as Mos Def announced his retirement during his time in South Africa, where he ran into travel issues that did not allow him to leave the country. In 2016, he told fans about his passport situation and retirement from the music industry. That same year, Yasiin Bey released Dec 99th and announced multiple other albums, including a project with Mannie Fresh that remains unreleased. Yasiin Bey continued to feature on songs from other artists and released the long-awaited second Black Star album, No Fear of Time last year.
Read More: J.I.D Recruits Yasiin Bey For “Stars”
4. 50 Cent
50 Cent first threatened to retire amidst his sales battle with Kanye West in 2007. While Graduation sold more than Curtis, 50 Cent did not quit music. He considered that his long-awaited Street King Immortal album, which he eventually scrapped, would be his final full-length release.
Since Animal Ambition in 2014, 50 Cent has deviated from music, finding success in the TV and film industry. He has sparingly released singles and guest verses that typically tie into his television projects. Last year, he hinted at releasing a final album but later clarified that he would continue to release music. However, 50 Cent will be embarking on his “Final Lap Tour” this year to celebrate 20 years of Get Rich or Die Tryin’, which is supposedly his last tour. Only time will tell if he actually retires.
3. Logic
In 2020, Logic announced that his sixth album would be his last. His retirement was a result of frustrations with the music industry and wanting to focus on being a father. No Pressure was the ultimate Swan song, but Logic did not stay retired for very long. He continued to steadily release music, including an instrumental project, Bobby Tarantino III, and Vinyl Days, his final album on Def Jam. Nowadays, Logic is showing no signs of slowing down. Earlier this year, he released his independent debut album, College Park.
2. The Game
The Game promoted his tenth studio album, 2019’s Born 2 Rap as his final album. On “Welcome Home,” a highlight from Born 2 Rap, Nipsey Hussle tells The Game that he does not believe that it will be his last album. The Game proved Nipsey correct as The Documentary rapper continued to release music. In 2020, he released "A.I. with the Braids" and shortly after, began the roll-out for Drillmatic - Heart Vs. Mind, which arrived in 2022. Around the same time, he was also embroiled in a one-sided feud with Eminem as he attempted to achieve GOAT status.
1. JAY-Z
JAY-Z’s short-lived retirement is one of the most well-known examples of a rapper failing to commit to retirement. His eighth studio album, 2003’s The Black Album was billed as his final album. He even dramatically performed a concert as his "retirement party," which became the focus of his 2004 documentary Fade To Black.
Around that time, he said he was retiring from releasing studio albums but continued to collaborate with other artists including joint projects with R. Kelly and Linkin Park. He made his official return to music with his ninth studio album, 2006’s Kingdom Come, and continued to release some of the biggest works of his career.
During an interview on Kevin Hart's Hart 2 Heart series on Peacock, Jay explained that he felt burnt out by that point after incessantly releasing music. Lately, JAY-Z has focused on his various business ventures but continues to rap. His most recent releases include features on albums from Pusha T and DJ Khaled. He hasn't necessarily ruled out releasing a new body of work but it might be a while until we get a follow-up to 4:44.