Jay-Z says he has not retired from rap and is “open to whatever”

Jay-Z has said that he has not retired from rap and he hasn’t shut the door on releasing new music in the future.

Speaking with actor and comedian Kevin Hart on his Peacock talkshow Hart To Heart, the rapper opened up about his future plans.

He last released an album in 2017 with ‘4:44’. A year later, he and his wife Beyoncé released a collaborative record titled ‘Everything Is Love’.

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“I don’t know what happens next. I’m not actively making music or making an album or have plans to make an album,” he said.

“But I never want to say I’m retired… It’s a gift, and who am I to shut it off? It’s open to whatever. Maybe it’s not an album. Maybe it is. I have no idea, but I’m just going to leave it open.”

He previously announced his retirement in 2003 after releasing ‘The Black Album’ but released his next album ‘Kingdom Come’ just three years later.

Reflecting on this decision, Jay-Z told Hart: “I was really burnt out at that time. I was releasing an album every year – ‘96, ‘97, ‘98. And then in between that, soundtracks, other people’s albums, Roc-A-Fella, touring back-to-back.

“And you know, I just looked up one day and I was like, ‘I’m tired.’ I had never been on a vacation until like, I want to say 2000. Like my whole life. And I was just really burnt out at that moment.”

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Meanwhile, actor and writer Simon Pegg recently told NME that he once went to Disneyland with Jay-Z.

“I did go to Disneyland with Jay-Z recently,” Pegg admitted. “I don’t know him that well but he’s friends with Chris [Martin] and we’ve met a couple of times. He’s a really sweet guy. He’s a dad too. We were all being told to go on the rollercoasters by our kids who are braver than we are.”