JuvenileHell
Veteran
LL is a legend but uh...not really checking for him to be honest 


Y'all gotta stop commenting on stuff without listening. Y'all stay reacting based off thread titles
Hip hop has never seen a guy gracefully retire when he was still relevant. We've never seen the Barry Sanders or Jim Brown hip hop equivalent. LL should've walked away after he was crowned victorious after the Canibus diss. He might've made someone's Goat list if he did.

When Barry Sanders and Jim Brown left the game they were still young and the best at their position. They left because of principal not lack of love for the game. It would be like a rapper on top of his game and still relevant retiring because he doesn't like his label or his deal. I just want to see a rapper that has accomplished a lot to walk away on top.
Sports and music are incredibly inherently different. Guys retire from sports because their BODY can't take it any more. The reason people quit sports early (or near the top of the game) is usually because they don't want to risk the pain and punishment to their body.
You can write/make music forever. The only reason to stop making music is you just don't feel like it any more.
We'll have to agree to disagree, I just don't see LL as being a factor at all since maybe 2000. With that said he's definitely among the top tier as far as longevity, he had a great run.LL was going Gold in 2006. There isn't a rapper that debuted in the 80s that is going Gold in the mid 2000s. That's relevant. Hell, most of the popular rappers in the 90s weren't going Gold in the mid 2000s. HELL, most "relevant" rappers in the EARLY 2000s weren't going Gold by 2006. You seem to be considering relevant = top of the game. Btw, I hate the term "relevant". Despise it.
When Barry Sanders and Jim Brown left the game they were still young and the best at their position. They left because of principal not lack of love for the game. It would be like a rapper on top of his game and still relevant retiring because he doesn't like his label or his deal. I just want to see a rapper that has accomplished a lot to walk away on top.
I doubt it'll ever happen.

Barry Sanders and Jim Brown both walked away from the game bruh. They stopped playing and didn't become commentators. 2 rappers attempted to do it and realized they couldn't generate the same amount of revenue nor relevancy without being rappers so they came back. Both Too Short and Jay-Z made retirement albums and had retirement parties and shyt and they had to come back to keep their brand relevant. If either was financially in a position to stay away when they retired they would've been bigger than they ever will be from here on out.
You're not thinking this thing through. How/why the fukk would an ARTIST "walk away"? This isn't sports where your body breaks down... as long as your mind is intact you can write and make music. The only time you see a rapper walk away is when they get into movies and seemingly don't have the time anymore (Will Smith, Mark Walhberg, etc.) Even rappers that aren't mainstream any more continue to make music, as they should... and hell even the ones who aren't coming out with his albums still will drop a freestyle on you or hop on a track if somebody gives them the opportunity.
Why would a rapper RETIRE because he doesn't like his label? HE COULD STILL RAP!!!
Besides, Barry Sanders/Jim Brown retired from the NFL, they didn't just necessarily retire from football. Rap isn't an organization, it is literally an artform.
