The Jason White of Hip-Hop

I retire. I quit. I can't do it anymore. It is the right thing for my family. We have heard these lines and similar ones from so many celebrities over the years, just to watch them come back months later, that I think any talk of retiring should be outlawed in the U.S. From MJ to Jay-Z to Brett Favre, the definition of retirement has been stomped on and reshaped to mean "I'll be back when I can't take not doing what I love anymore." Our latest culprit is the young Kid Cudi, who has yet to even drop his debut album. This morning, on his blog, Cudi boldly stated that his last studio session ever will occur when he hits the mic to do a collabo album with fellow Clevelander Chip That Ripper, whenever that might be.
Now, Kid Cudi is no Jay-Z. When all you have to represent your body of work is a single mixtape, you are pretty much the Jason White of hip-hop. Jason White was the Hesiman winning quarterback for the University of Oklahoma from 2003-2004. White was not selected in the 2005 NFL draft. He was signed as free agent by the Tennessee Titans, but was soon cut. He then "retired" from football, citing bad knees. Kid Cudi's mixtape, "A Kid Named Cudi" is like his Heisman trophy. He has now become the Jason White of hip-hop.
Cudi was not specific when discussing why he was leaving the game after releasing only one studio album. He references there being to much drama and negative energy around him and that he has already been given critical acclaim by people he respects in the game, which is all he needs. Really? No hip-hop artist has gotten to where he or she is in this game without garnering some kind of hate. If this is how Cudi is going to react to it, by running and hiding and working on some mystery show on HBO, then perhaps he isn't ready to be an artist in the first place. I was very disappointed by this news and so was his steadily increasing fan base. Cudi was a breath of fresh air in hip-hop, not so much an MC in the sense of the word but more of a real "artist." Now he is going to stop doing what he loves because of people hating on him? Cudi, you were discovered by Kanye West, one of the most respected artists in hip-hop, a giant in the game. Why would you let anyone tell you your music is wack if Kanye is feeling it? It baffles me, especially when Cudi hasn't even put out an album yet. How can you decide you are going to quit? If you stop now, no is going to remember you as an artist Cudi, no matter how strongly you feel they will.
I personally do not believe that Cudi is going to follow through on this, especially after his album hits stores and he realizes how many people enjoy his music. His desire to continue to make good music will push him back into the studio. I have heard him talk so passionately about how hard he worked on "Sky Might Fall" and how proud he is of that song. So as Jay-Z once said, "When I come back like Jordan, wearing the 45," Cudi is going to once again stomp on the definition of retirement. Unless he truly is done making music, and in that case, I don't want him to come back at all.