Drake says he’s been thinking of “a graceful exit.”
The consideration is discussed in an interview with Lil Yachty as part of the latter’s FUTUREMOODcompany.
“Well, I think like on a broader scale, I think I’m at the point now where I just wanna, like—I feel like maybe we talked about this the other day—but I feel like I’m kind of introducing the concept in my mind of a graceful exit,” Drake tells Yachty when asked what’s left “to even search for or want” anymore, starting at the 5:50 mark above.
This doesn’t mean an all-out retirement, as he wound up determining, “I’ll still be around to like, you know, work with people or do a show here or there, but I’m not going to like, force myself to compete. … So I guess that’s the one thing that I want for myself really badly.”
Drake explained his “graceful exit” rationale like so:
“I feel like a lot of people that I’ve watched as the years have gone on, it’s a really addictive, competitive space. And often times you’re like, addicted to the competition itself. … Sometimes it’ll baffle you, like why are these people still making attempts at trying to be present in the space? And then you’ll realize they probably, their needs and desires and their soul was probably fed for so long off of being a guy, or the guy, that they can’t let it go. So I guess what’s left for me is just to find a way to gracefully—I’m not ready now—but to gracefully continue making projects that are extremely, like, interesting and hopefully cherished by people. And then to find the right time to say like, ‘I can’t wait to see what the next generation does.’”
Yachty pointed out that on the Views track “Weston Road Flows” in 2016, Drake prophesied that he’d already have hung it up by this age. “The most successful rapper 35 and under/I’m assuming everybody’s 35 and under/That’s when I plan to retire, man it’s already funded,” he rapped.
Drizzy immediately admitted to Lil Boat with a scowl, “No, I hate hearing that shit. Yeah, I heard it the other night while we were at the club.”
Earlier this week, Complex shared an exclusive clip from Yachty’s Rap Radar interview in which he detailed how his and Drake’s creative relationship has evolved over time. Specifically, Yachty spoke about his involvement in Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss, an album for which he received a number of co-writing credits.
“I don’t know, man, it just happened,” Yachty told Elliott Wilson and Brian “B.Dot” Miller of how he ended up in the room during Her Loss sessions.
For Drake, Her Loss marked his second new album of 2022 and stands as a full-length extension of what he and 21 teased on predecessor Honestly, Nevermind with the closing track “Jimmy Cooks.” In fact, Her Loss’ then-imminent arrival was first announced to the world by way of the official “Jimmy Cooks” video.
