Rap’s Retirement Home
GENERAL By Landon A. on July 20, 2008 at 10:11 pmEvery year, Hip-Hop artists unleash new and exciting trends upon the masses last year it was rapping about coke, the year before that it was Flavor Flav (don’t front, you know you watched the first season of Flavor of Love) and now this year we see a trend circulating within the music industry itself: retirement…or at least the threat thereof.
Rappers who have threatened to retire this year:
Saigon
Jean Grae
Lupe Fiasco
The Game
Rappers who have actually retired (thus far): 0
As you may remember Jay-Z faked his own retirement in 2003 in the hopes of busting heads in the corporate world. Now, after triumphantly returning to the game, releasing two albums and inking a $150 million deal with Live Nation, Hov proves nothing pays better than (kind of) retiring.
So why are these other rappers keeping Hip-Hop heads drooling in suspense?
Disclaimer: Each rapper on the above list has at least one album or mixtape in constant rotation on my iPod.
Now with that said…
Saigon, Lupe and Jean Grae have all sighted industry ills when confronted about their threats to retire. Saigon chose to release his frustrations via Myspace with his infamous “I Quit” post after the good folks at Fort Knocks Entertainment bumped his album back to Nevruary 31st, ultimately we’re all glad Sai stuck around.
Jean Grae is in the same boat – homegirl had every right to consider leaving the game after being put through four years of neglect as well as rigorous negotiations concerning sample clearance. No worries ‘Ma, we get it.
Lupe is another story altogether. Lupe offered the simple explanation that he was just tired of the industry. To my knowledge, both of Lupe’s albums went off without a hitch, and, to my knowledge, both albums had a Top 40 hit single. So what’s there to complain about? Does he have the Jigga syndrome? Hope not, but we’ll see as Lupe prepares what he claims to be his third and final album.
That leaves us with perhaps the most controversial artist on the list: The Game. A name synonymous with trouble…
In a recent tearful interview, The Game decided he “doesn’t want to be a part of Hip-Hop anymore” because of the lack of coherency in the industry. This year he released a track called “911 Is a Joke (Cop Killa)” addressing the Sean Bell shooting, and apparently no other artists felt passionately enough about the subject to step up on the track. Sorry homie, but what do you expect when the only thing that draws listeners is a vocoder club track with T-Pain on the hook?
So, before these MC’s go and hook up with the AARR (American Association for Retired Rappers,) they might want to give thought to the example they’re setting. There are plenty of Soulja Boys and Soulja Girls out there waiting in reserve to take their place.
Alchemist – 1st Infantry
K-Dee – Ass Gas Or Cash (No One Rides For Free)
Ice-T-Power-1988
Ice-T-O.G._Original_Gangster-1991
Funkdoobiest-Brothas_Doobie-1995
Bishop_Lamont-N*gger_Noize-2008 (Untagged/No DJ/Remastered)
Teflon-My_Will
M.O.P.-Warriorz
M.O.P.-First_Family_4_Life
The_Coup-Kill_My_Landlord
The_Coup-Pick_A_Bigger_Weapon
The_Commission – The_Game_&_Young_Buck:_Laugh_Now,_Cry_Later – 2008
Kidz_in_the_Hall-Geniuses_Need_Love_Too
Three_6_Mafia-Presents_Hypnotize_Camp_Posse-2000
Three_6_Mafia-The_End-1997
VA-The_Wackness_(Purple_Tape)_(2CD)-(Bootleg)-2008
Twista_Feat._Anthony_Hamilton_-_Sunshine-Promo-CDS-2004
VA Rawkus Presents Soundbombing Vol. 1
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Posted in GENERAL — Tags: Falsehoods, Rappers, Retirements
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36 Comments
retirement claims and industry ‘beef’ have become artists new promotional tools
I think rappers are afraid to retire b/c they are not impressed by the next generation or just waiting for someone to pay them homage!
no doubt E….but hey look at me ..
im all reddy retired and dont even have an album out…LOL
but yeah, like E said, its all to promote….
build up a hype about it and draw attention…
thats how it wurks
Lupe was just on his period during that time. He’ll still be around. CRS either currently is still shooting or shot the “Everybody Nose Remix” vid.
Something tells me these dudes can’t honestly have a thought process that works way, to think that “faking” a retirement is an effective promotional tactic.
“I’ll fake my retirement. If that don’t work, I’ll fake my death.”
Enh…
I think it’s part of that mindset that believes in instant gratification plus labels not knowing what do w/an artist sometimes.
Rappers don’t retire until they die…
…and then they still put something out after that.
anyone heard anything new bout pac div?
I believe it’s part of that whole feigned apathetic detachment thing MCs do now when they get big:
“Yo, it doesn’t even matter that what I’ve been working for my whole life finally came through. I totally have ten other things I could fall back on homie. Like my new record label, my clothing line, my energy drank, or this new strain of hydro nobody gave a shit about until I made it big rappin. So, yeah I just bought Hammer’s mansion and I’m BBBAAAAALLLLLIIIIINNNNNN!!!!11111!!”
I believe it’s part of that whole feigned apathetic detachment thing MCs do now when they get big
————————
BINGO!!!!
some ol’ Right Said Fred sh*t I could take it or leave it sh*t…
and the ones WHO NEED to retire stick around like cockroaches..
SMH
like the typical rapper dude be cakin’ like that
apathy is the new black
I think most guys who pull the retirement card are cats who finally read the fineprint in their contracts. That’s when they realize that record contracts are structured like PayDay loans and credit card bills. Albums sales aint nothing but minimum payments on a maxed out limit. You’ll never get out from under.
Somewhere around that 2nd or 3rd album, fools is like “I gotta recoup what?! I gotta buy back my own publishing?! Eff it, I quit!” (Remember Aquemini Records? Them two dope boys done sold 15 million albums but they still don’t own ish.)
Then somebody at the label makes the assessment of whether or not said artist will ever be worth anything; if the answer’s yeah, they’ll drop ‘em. if not, they don’t ever get out.
That’s when dude starts talking about “i’m back like 4-5…”
don’t forget Fiddy…
he said he’s got a spot picked out at the Sundown Estates after this next album…..but he already said the same thing after that corny ass “sales battle” b/w him & Kanye
http://www.youtube.com/v/0yhQbyvy8ZU
To reference Canseco’s train of thought: With 50, not only has Dre been eating off him but even Em has (quite literally) been feeding from his plate since he came on Interscope. It kinda seems like 50 retired after The Massacre anyway.
Bret Favre is the Jay-Z of football
@ Wit-E
I was… I repeat I was trying to eat some Tyson Steak Fingers before I clicked that link. Not anymore.
the way most cats just fade away, going through all the crap regarding a “retirement” is just so ridiculous.
you dropped 8 mixtapes and an album… aggin, WHAT EXACTLY are you retiring from???
mediocrity?
if a 24 year-old who never really had a real job (Read: Legacy) decides he don’t wanna stock shelves down at Costco no more, would that be retirement if he up and quit?
Just got back from watching The Dark Knight. That joint was AMAZING!
jajajaja
that youtube clip was filmed b4 weedwackers and razors were invented.
so who else ended up spending 15 min gawking @ the Rosario Dawson pics linked on the bottom of the main page?
http://realtalkny.uproxx.com/2008/07/topic/topic/vixens/saturday-night-vixen-andressa-soares/
dark Knight was nice… HL deserved the post-mortem hype. His Joker was hilarious. Wasn’t feeling the TwoFace redux tho. Aaron Eckhart just seems like an insincere jerk no matter what movie he’s in. I don’t buy him as anything other than soft and corrupt–face-cooked or not.
—
You gotta have an actual job to retire from. If ain’t made it off of Datpiff downloads then i’m not retiring , i’m just going back to my day job.
http://w17.easy-share.com/1700810233.html
http://www.worldstarhiphop.com/videos/video800.php?v=wshhMakNE8F0Q97jIJ4V&set_size=1
the Heath Ledger hype is well-deserved.
He killed that role.
good looks on websites Wit-E, I had the movie loaded up on the ipod tonight @ work.
Next stop…. The Cinema
gotta see that jawn proper-like
The Shots is banging tonite/this morning. 2 things tho
1 Can we get a reup of the Plat/Gold Next. As was said by a wise man. “I buy shit the bitches like cause I like bitches that like me” **the wise man was my drunk ass uncle but he has 15 kids with 11 diff women, so other than his aversion to plastic/latex, he knew SOMETHING**
2 Good looks on showing The Coup some love. Revolutionary rap always warms the heart.
Man….what if that dude wasn’t the real gynecologists ???
just sum dude frunting,
so he can touch on ya wifey ???..LOL….f*cked up huh??
E stop putting sick thangs up man !!..
making me question science and doctors and sh*t …..
U KuRrRAZZY muthat-f*cka
Ayo just saw this…
the Cookie Monster gittin sick wit it !!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0NCeRcUVXY
Ayo …..just saw this…
the Cookie Monster gittin sick wit it !!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0NCeRcUVXY
I was… I repeat I was trying to eat some Tyson Steak Fingers before I clicked that link. Not anymore.
= = = = =
Everytime Wit posts a video link, I’m always cautious make sure I’m not at work, or in your case eating something. Viewer discretion is DEFINITELY advised.
fifty cent vs kanye west …
loose… the fake retirement
Landon!
High-five, my dude. Good to see you on here.
Let’s goooo!!
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/baloji/video/x59u3f_diversidad-single-experience_music
Cookie Monster got flow!
them diversad cats is spittin hard! i can figure out some of the lyrics but still, you can tell when folks are flowing even if you’re missing every 3rd word like me. lol!
i drive in head first with the diversity
and embrace our whole race universaly
call me naïve for the way i love all humans
call me a rebel for the way i hate all rulers
still what wouldn’t even begin to explain everything that i am
the things that made me a man
what separates and unities me with her and with him
well a must have been music again
i thought eckart was good. i did not see a bad acting job in that movie, but i guess when you have a cast like that you expect it. dark knight was huge, and shot that way.