Jay-Z Discusses Retirement With Kevin Hart: "I’m Just Going To Leave It Open"

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Jay-Z, Kevin Hart
Jay-Z sat down with Kevin Hart to discuss whether he plans on releasing more music, "The Black Album," and more.

Jay-Z recently spoke with Kevin Hart for the second season of the comedian's show, Hart to Heart, where he discussed the future of his music career and whether he considers himself to be retired. Additionally, the legendary rapper reflected on his first attempt at retirement following the release of The Black Album.

After being asked bluntly by Hart whether he's retired, Jay joked, “Nah, I tried that," referencing his 2003 project, The Black Album, which was billed as Jay-Z's final record before retirement.

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He explained of that time in his career: "I just needed a break. But I really thought that I was really burnt out at that time. I was releasing an album every year. '96, '97, '98, and in between that, soundtracks, other people's albums, Roc-A-Fella, touring, back to back. I just looked up one day and I was like 'I'm tired.' I had never been on vacation until like, I want to say 2000, my whole life. I was just really burnt out at that moment."

As for the future of his career, Jay admitted that he's not actively working on any music, nor does he have any ideas for another album; however, he says he feels uncomfortable with the idea of labeling himself fully retired.

“I don’t know what happens next,” he said. “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.”

If Jay-Z never releases another full-length album, 2017's critically acclaimed 4:44 will go down as his final solo project. The album was nominated at the Grammy Awards for Album of the Year.

Check out Jay-Z's discussion with Kevin Hart below.

[Via]


About The Author
Cole Blake is currently an Editor at HotNewHipHop based out of Brooklyn, New York. He began working at the site as an intern back in 2018 while studying journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s graduated with a bachelor's degree and written extensively about a wide range of topics including pop culture, film & television, politics, video games, sports, and much more. He’s also covered music festivals such as Gov. Ball and Rolling Loud. You can find him publishing work for HNHH from Monday to Wednesday or on weekends. On the sports front, Cole’s a passionate NBA and NFL fan with his favorite teams being the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Lakers. He also roots for the Yankees whenever he finds himself at Yankee Stadium or the Red Storm when in the company of other SJU alumni. His favorite hip-hop artists are billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Cam’ron, MIKE, and Mach-Hommy.
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