JAY-Z Says He’s ‘Of’ In Music But Will ‘Never’ Say He’s Retired
JAY-Z announced his famous retirement in 2003 but returned three years later with a new album
The hip-hop star and mogul, 52, sat down with Kevin Hart on a new episode of comedian talk show Peacock Hart to Heart and revealed his plans are in the air, but he’s avoided the word ‘retirement.’ “
“I don’t know what will happen next. I’m not actively making music or albums, nor do I have any plans to make an album,” he said. “But I never wanted to say I’m retired… It’s a gift, and who am I to turn it off?” Open to anything.”
He continued: “It can take different forms, different interpretations. Maybe it’s not an album. Maybe that’s it. I don’t know, but I’ll leave it open.”
The rapper’s latest album, Empire State of Mind, 4:44, was released in 2017. A year later, he also released the joint album Everything Is Love with his wife Beyoncé. And the ruling couple embarked on a journey together to lead the Run II tour. However, he has flirted with saying goodbye to recordings in the past, announcing his retirement with a rock party at Madison Square Garden in 2003.
Although he continued to work with various artists, including Linkin Park, in the following years. JAY-Z officially ended his retirement in 2006 with the album Kingdom Come, which he followed with American Gangster a year later.
The star (born Sean Carter) told Hart, 43 that he was “scared” of retiring but “just needed a break. When he decided to quit in 2003. “I was exhausted then, an album every year – ’96,’ 97, ’98.