Five rappers who retired but came back
Even rap artists need a break from time to time. But who’s thrown in the towel on making tracks, and who took a slightly exaggerated hiatus?
Taking a break as an artist is obviously understandable. When you hit a damning creative wall and nothing good seems to come from your artistic process, doubts begin to creep into your mind about anything and everything.
It’s usually during those moments that you decide to give it all up and announce to your fans that you can’t cut it anymore, that it’s been a great ride, but this is where the journey ends. However, more often than not, artists find themselves being pulled right back into the game.
Take a look at the five rappers who retired, but not really.
Five rappers who retired but returned:
Jay Z
Hova arguably set the standard for rap retirement returns when he announced that The Black Album would be his last release. That was back in 2003. After an already-impressive career, Jay Z held a farewell concert at Madison Square Garden, complete with Fade to Black, a documentary wrapping up his professional work.
True to this word, he kept a low profile in the years following, only serving as president of the record label Def Jam. But, after performing at Power 105.1’s Powerhouse concert, where Jay famously ended his beef with Nas, he began popping up as a feature on different rap tracks. Within months, Jay entered a full comeback, releasing Kingdom Come.
Rather than shy away from his stunted retirement, Jay says on the opening track ‘The Prelude’: “Got to admit a little bit, I was sick of rap / But despite that the boy is back”. He then went on to rap about being enlightened and evolved. In 2022, Jay even admitted to Kevin Hart that he’s “terrible at retirement” and that he “never want[s] to say [he’s] retired” again.
Lil Wayne
In 2016, Lil Wayne declared that he was leaving rap “mentally defeated” and that he was to “leave gracefully and thankful”. He closed saying, “I [love] my fans, but I’m done”. The news came after a heavy dispute with his record label, Cash Money Records, as well as his mentor, Birdman, which led to years of legal battles.
There was a quick pouring of support from fans, who asked Wayne to reconsider, and only ten days later, he retracted his retiring statement. He told chat show hosts that walking away would be impossible, especially when he was at such a height in his career. He went on to release three more solo albums, four EPs, and five mixtapes.
Talking about his short stint away from rap, Wayne added, “I could say it, I could tweet it, I could go to church about it, everybody already know I’ll have another verse to do the next day”.
Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj sent shockwaves through fans when she shared that she was retiring from rap to focus on family matters. She posted on Twitter, “I’ve decided to retire [and] have my family […] I know you guys are happy now”. The news was sudden and naturally prompted fans to convince her otherwise.
Nicki later apologised for the post, calling it “abrupt and insensitive”, and explaining that she was referring to retiring from recording her fifth album, not her career entirely.
Her retirement lasted only a few weeks, and Nicki continued to storm the charts and bring controversy in the years after.
Childish Gambino
Of all rap’s retirement stories, Childish Gambino’s is the longest. The rapper/comedian/actor first hinted at ending his music career in 2015, saying that “Childish Gambino is a period that should come to a close”.
He doubled down on his retirement plans in 2017, when he announced to crowds, “I’ll see you for the last Gambino album”. Again in 2018, at the Grammys, he said, “I like endings. I think they’re important to progress”.
Fast forward to 2018, and Gambino still hadn’t really retired. He released ‘This Is America’ and then his album 3.15.20 in 2020. In an interview with GQ in the same year, he clarified that he still doesn’t feel like “he’s done with that [music] project”.
Azealia Banks
Even during her rise to fame, Azealia Banks told people that she didn’t see herself rapping forever. In a TV interview, she admitted that she found rap easy and enjoyable, but also “tacky” and “unladylike”. She also said that she anticipated she would grow tired of rapping and was already imagining what life would look like for her outside of the rap game.
In 2019, Banks confirmed suspicions that she was retiring via a post on Instagram. “You will never get another body of Azealia Banks’ work again. Hear me?” Nonetheless, she released the Yung Rapunxel: Part II mixtape the same year. Months later, she returned to Instagram to reiterate her departure. “So, guys, I bid you adieu. These last eight years were fun,” she shared. A mere few hours then passed, and she shared an update: “Now I’m going back to LA to finish some music and finish some videos. Prepare you bitches for another year of not being able to take Azealia Banks”.
So what can we take away from all these rap retirement flip-flops? Well, it seems that a rap return is far more compelling than a rap exit.