Nearly two decades after he first stepped away, Jay-Z isn’t looking to retire for a second time.
During a chat with Kevin Hart, Hov spoke on his 2003 retirement, saying, “I tried that… I just needed a break. I was really burnt out at that time. I was releasing an album every year… I just looked up one day and was like, 'I’m tired.' I had never been on a vacation until I wanna say 2000 -- my whole life. I was really burnt out in that moment.”
Hov’s leaving the door open to whatever inspires him in the future. “I’m not actively making music or making an album or have plans to make an album, but I never want to say that I’m retired… It’s a gift, so who am I to shut it off? And it may have a different form or interpretation. Maybe it’s not an album, maybe it is. I have no idea, but I’m just going to leave it open.”