S. Samuel
Flipmode leader Busta Rhymes recently spoke on his thoughts on rap retirement and declared his aim to enhance hip-hop's craft into his 60's.
Despite turning down retirement plans, Busta said he wold also like to put out music on his own terms, not a record company’s.
“All them dudes that talk about retirement and sh*t, God bless ’em,” Busta said in an interview. “I’m not one of them dudes. When you’re in this business as long as me, you’re gonna retire and do what? I love what I do so much, I don’t foresee retirement ever. I’ma probably be one of the first motherf*ckers on some Quincy Jones sh*t. I wanna be able to put out a Q’s Juke Joint when I’m 65 years old. But the difference is, when I do that, if I do that God willing, it would be me wanting to do it because I’m not really obligated to a contractual agreement with a record company and I’m not just putting music out because I just feel like [it]. I wanna make music with some friends that I done had relationships with over the years.” (Hip Hop Official)
Calling rap music a “hobby,” 22 year-old Bow Wow recently announced his retirement following the release of New Jack City Pt. 2.
“This is my last album because for me, there’s no more that needs to be done on the music side, I’ve done everything,” Bow explained. “And the scary thing is I’m 22 years old and I’m young. I’m still a baby, so it’s kinda like on the music side, I’ve been doing it since five. That’s 17 years of non-stop music, music, music. There’s nothing more to accomplish that I haven’t seen yet…I feel like now it’s time to endure a new challenge…Close the chapter on the Bow Wow legacy…As far as albums, I’m good. Seven albums at 22, that’s crazy.” (Real Talk NY)
Aside from Bow Weezy, other rappers like Common previously spoke with SOHH about extending his rap expiration card.
“God willing, you’ll get albums nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen,” Common laughingly promised. “I feel like a jazz musician in many ways and I wanna keep creating music. I feel like I want to be doing shows when I’m sixty something.” (SOHH)
The Game also said LAX would not be his “retirement” project despite his claims early last year.
“I’m on tour right now stackin’ my paper,” Game said in an interview earlier this year. “Yeah, I ain’t retiring man, I gotta work on my album man. I gotta keep giving the people, you know, the gangsta sh*t, straight outta Compton, four albums in, come this September or something like that. I’ma drop some new heat. I even got an album title.” (Wild 101.1)
Check out Busta’s interview below:
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