JAY-Z Says He Never Wants to Retire From Music

JAY-Z has toyed with retirement before, but he’s not about to do it again.

During an interview with Kevin Hart for Season 2 of Peacock’s “Hart to Heart,” the hip-hop icon revealed that while he is “not actively making music,” he never wants to quit the rap game.

“I tried that, I’m terrible at that,” said the 52-year-old Roc Nation boss in a clip from “Access Hollywood.” “I just needed a break. But I really thought that, I was really burnt out at that time.”

Back in 2002, JAY-Z announced that The Black Album would be his last, only to return three years later with another album, Kingdom Come. “It was the worst retirement, maybe, in history,” he told Entertainment Weekly at the time.

Looking back, JAY-Z reveals what led to his decision. “I just looked up one day and I was like, I’m tired. I had never been on a vacation until like 2000, my whole life. I was just really burnt out at that moment,” he recalled.

While his future musical plans remain unclear, he doesn’t plan to retire again. “I don’t know what happens next. I’m not actively making music or making an album or have plans to make an album, but I never want to say I’m retired,” he said, adding, “You know, it’s a gift. And who am I to shut it off?”

However, he doesn’t rule out more musical projects in the future. “It’s open to whatever. It may have a different form, a different interpretation. Maybe it’s not an album. Maybe it is! I have no idea. But [I’m] just gonna leave it open,” he explained.

The billionaire tycoon continues to moonlight in music. Earlier this year, he teamed up with Pusha T on “Neck & Wrist,” and is credited as a writer on Beyoncé’s single “Break My Soul.”