Kanye West has seen a number of peaks and valleys throughout his lengthy career in the entertainment industry. The Chicago native found great success with music in the early 2000s and later strolled down other professional avenues, with fashion being one of them. In more recent years though, 47-year-old West has seen significant career losses, in great part due to controversial statements he’s made. West even admitted at one point that he’d been “beat to a pulp” amid his career woes. He’s continued to make music, nevertheless, yet he just apparently seemed to confirm he’s retiring from rap. In the aftermath of that revelation, an insider provided claims regarding his career and decision.
News of Ye’s decision to drop the mic (both figuratively and literally) came from fellow hip hop artist Rich the Kid. The 32-year-old rapper, whose real name is Dimitri Roger, shared a photo of DMs sent between the “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” performer and himself. The since-expired Instagram story, which was captured by TMZ, shows Ye having said, “I am retiring from professional music” and that he’s “not sure what else to do”. Rich responded by expressing his disbelief.
Some may be skeptical as to whether or not Kanye West is legitimately planning to ride off into the sunset, so to speak. After all, the Grammy winner does know how to stir up buzz with a publicity stunt. However, based on what a source told TMZ Hip Hop, there appears to be some validity to this declaration. The insider says that because West is putting so much of his heart and soul into the work, he feels as though he’s been drained. It’s also noted that fans have been seeing Kanye put in 100% efforts whenever he’s performed over the past several years and that that’s added to his purported strain.
The notion of the “Dark Fantasy” writer leaving the rap game is interesting to think about. For better and for worse, he has been one of the most influential voices in the industry for some time now. Of course, given the seemingly fluid nature of the multi-hyphenate’s career, it’s totally possible that he could change his mind. However, he’s also closing in on 50 and has still been producing music at a high volume, so he may indeed be ready to call it a career.
Since being dropped by Adidas, Balenciaga and more in 2022 after making antisemitic statements, Kanye West has seemingly sought to recoup his losses by shifting gears professionally. It was even reported earlier this year that West wants to enter the porn industry. His supposed plan is to create an adult entertainment branch under his Yeezy corporation. However, that business move reportedly caused issues with his employees. His chief of staff, Milo Yiannopoulos, shared a statement, confirming that he disagreed with the shift to porn and revealing that he would leave the company.
Additionally, Ye has been working closely alongside his wife, Bianca Censori, on a few ventures. Sources claimed in 2023 that architectural designer Censori was having an impact on her hubby’s work, serving as a bit of a creative muse for him. More recently, reports have suggested that the Wests are getting in business together for an undisclosed venture. However, if insiders are to be believed, Censori has worries about the porn industry move that her spouse wants to make.
It should be mentioned that even if the “Stronger” rapper is planning to give up on hip hop, he still has music coming. Both Rich the Kid and Consequence have collaborations with the music superstar, which are set to be released soon. Ye is featured on the track “Plain Jane,” which is a part of Rich’s upcoming album, and he also joined Cons’ new album by contributing to the song “No Apologies.” For what it’s worth, Consequence supports his collaborator’s retirement.
We’ll have to wait and see if Kanye West’s retirement ultimately comes to pass, though the insider comments should certainly give the star’s devotees pause. Should West ultimately decide to step back, it would certainly mark the end of an era in hip hop.
