#TBT Remember When Jay Z Retired?

In an excerpt from his interview with Vibe Magazine. Jay Z tells the world why he was retiring. It was a man at a certain stage in his life that was looking more into building his businesses outside of the music world.

I know other rappers have written autobiographies or memoirs, but I wasn’t sure that was something that should happen until I was older, like how Miles Davis did it. But in hip hop, everything is accelerated. Miles wrote his book at the end of his musical career, which was decades long.

Ten years in hip hop feels like decades. Malcolm X published his at 40; he must have had life closing in on him. I hope to continue to live and grow. I don’t think I’m Miles or Malcolm, but I know that my life story can give real perspective on my generation, the epic times we faced, and the choices we made. I also hope that my story can inspire someone else, hopefully the next young Shawn Carter, locked in a hot little apartment in some project building, with dreams way bigger than his windows.

Jay Z has one of the greatest careers in hip hop history. The rap star hit the billboard charts multiple times over his decades long rap life. He has released the following music.