Drake wants to “gracefully exit” music to make way for the next generation of rappers.
The ‘God’s Plan’ hitmaker has insisted he’s not thinking about retirement anytime soon, but when the time comes to step back, he wants to mentor up-and-coming artists.
Speaking to fellow rapper Lil Yachty, 25, for the first ‘Moody Conversations’ episode on YouTube, Drake said: “Well, I think on a broader scale, I think I’m at the point now where I just wanna — 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.”
The 36-year-old hip-hop superstar continued: “I feel like a lot of people that I’ve watched as the years have gone on, it’s a really addictive competitive space. Oftentimes you’re addicted to the competition itself.”
Reassuring fans that he has no plans to hang up his microphone in the near future, Drake added: “I’m not ready now, but to gracefully continue making projects that are extremely interesting and hopefully cherished by people, and then to find the right time to say, ‘I can’t wait to see what the next generation does.’
“I’ll still be around to work with people or do a show here or there, but I’m not going to force myself to compete.
I would love to just see what the next generation does, whenever that time is. So, I guess that’s the one thing that I want for myself really badly.”
The ‘Hotline Bling’ hitmaker recently hinted at putting another album out this year, while he also vowed to stick around for “a little bit at least”.
The Canadian megastar brought his greatest hits to the Apollo Theater in New York City in January for a SiriusXM special, where he provided an update on future music and a tour with 21 Savage.
While on stage with the latter, he said: “We’re gonna be out on the road this summer.”
He later added: “I’ve thought about a bunch of things in life, but at this moment in time none of those things are stopping making music for you, so I’ll be here for you for a little bit at least.
“I hope I can strike up more emotions for you. Maybe this year – I might get bored and make another one. Who knows?”
Drake and Savage released their joint LP ‘Her Loss’ last year.
The former’s last solo record was 2022’s ‘Honestly, Nevermind’.