Opinion - Rap Retirement

Retiring is the latest rage in rap discovers Hattie Collins

Forget the $250,000 customised Maybach, owning a nightclub in Miami, and freshly mined minerals from Mali. Apparently, the latest hip hop must-have has more to do with free bus passes than backstage ones. Vintage throwback jersey’s are rapidly being replaced with cardies, pipe and slippers faster than you can say ‘Jakob The Jeweller’. Yes, retirement is de rigeur in rap right now.

Having threatened to put the mic down since releasing his first album in 1996, last November Jay-Z dropped his eighth and final long-player, The Black Album. What more could he possibly have to say, he expounded egotistically? Since Jigga announced his intention to draw his pension, a rash of rappers have raced to declare they’re doing the same. From P. Diddy to DMX, Andre 3000 to Bow Wow, (who’s only 16 for God’s sake), they’re all ‘’bout to leave the game.’ Last week producer/rapper Dr Dre decided he’s staying solely behind the soundboard from now on. His much anticipated third solo album, Toxic, has been sent to the scrap-heap and he’ll instead concentrate on forthcoming Eminem and 50 Cent releases. Mind you, considering it’s alleged he rarely wrote his own raps it’s no great loss to anyone. Except his poor ghostwriter, perhaps.

The latest in the long line to declare self-imposed leave is super-producer Timbaland. Celebrated for his pioneering sonics on each and every Missy Elliott album, this is a man whose sci-fi sounds have consistently challenged the rap rhetoric. But he’s fed up. “I don’t know when it will be yet, but I am retiring," stated the Cry Me A River maker. "The desire to make music is still there but the politics in the music industry itself is what’s really getting to me. I feel it stops the creativity. It goes from the CEO’s of the companies right on down. That’s what’s messing me up right now."

While Timbaland admits he may look into scoring film soundtracks in the future, he also has a far more interesting, and unusual career path up his sleeve. "I’m in training at the moment to be a bodybuilder," he revealed. "I’m looking to compete. It’s something different and I like it. I have to lose about 50, 60 pounds so it’ll take five or six months," admitted the roly-poly producer.

So that’s that then? No more rhyming and/or knob-twiddling for these fellas. Erm, well no, not quite. Like Air Force 1’s before it, retirement is barely in before it’s out. Rumours abound that Jay-Z may be signing a one-off album deal with Dr Dre’s Aftermath label - seems he may have a bit more to talk about yet. As for DMX? Well, like Jay-Z, he’s threatened to retire every year for the last ten, so no one really takes any notice of him anyway.

Timbaland though remains definite. So when he’s off greasing himself in baby oil and pulling on his Speedo’s, who does he imagine will be the hit-maker behind his partner-in-rhyme’s next album? “Oh,” he breezes. “I’ll still do Missy’s stuff.”

Perhaps the post office should hold off on ordering those extra P60’s for now.

Timbaland’s new but probably not his last single Indian Flute is out now

A version of this article appeared in the Guardian Guide