The 2010s were absolutely owned by three names - Drake, J Cole and Kendrick Lamar. Throughout that decade, each of them put their stamp on not only the hip-hop genre, but on the music industry as a whole. They were able to each catapult themselves to superstar status to the point where their music transcended rap. But as the years go on, it is only normal to contemplate how long you can keep the momentum going, with all 3 who have dropped hints of “retirement”
For Drake, he’s been teasing his retirement since 2016 with award winning album ‘Views’ with track 6 "Weston Road Flows” where he raps about plans to retire at 35 and how it’s already funded. However in an interview for “FUTUREMOOD” featuring good friend and collaborator “Lil Yachty” that he actually regretted that line and has become more open to the idea of exiting rap “gracefully” in the near future. Now it may seem that he’s exploring his options but in May 2022 it was reported that he inked a whopping “400 million dollar record deal” with Universal. So hopefully this means we could expect at least a couple more albums before Drake makes that “graceful exit”.
Cole on the other hand, has been hinting at his retirement since ‘KOD’ with outro song “1985 - Intro to “The Fall Off””. “The Fall Off” album was listed on a leaked checklist from a studio session, showing that it was the last album on the list to get done before he finishes his career. Now, we have seen fake retirements before from other great rappers as a means for marketing. The most obvious being Jay-Z marketing “The Black Album” as his final studio album after being in the game for 10 years, only to go on another 10 year run after releasing it. Here’s to hoping J. Cole is just taking a page out of Hov’s book, and getting the most marketing power to surround the upcoming album.
And finally, “Mr Morales” Kendrick Lamar with his path being the most unclear of the three. He hasn’t come out and said anything specifically about retirement, however he clearly isn’t prioritizing his music career as much. And we got a glimpse of this when he took off the last five years in between “Damn” and his most recent album “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers”. On the latter project, on the song “Mirror” he details how at this point in his life, “I choose me” meaning it’s time for him to prioritize himself and his family’s well-being over everything else, including music. Also starting his own entertainment company ‘pgLang’ with some hot upcoming artists in the mix, maybe it’s his way of passing the torch to the next generation. Now the fact that he is still the hottest name in his own record label, hopefully he’ll try and keep the momentum going with at least a couple more albums.
These three are each true legends of their crafts and have given so much of their lives to the game. When it’s all said and done for them we’ll look back at all the amazing moments and historical feats they accomplished throughout their careers and wonder - will there ever be another “Big Three” of this magnitude. Whoever they may be, they’re going to have some big shoes to fill.
Written by: Jeremy Leitner
Sources: “Complex” “HipHopDx”
Date: April 12, 2023
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