"The MC's Lifespan In The Game Is Maybe Seven Years"

Rap veteran Rakim recently opened up about his run in hip-hop and expressed his appreciation for still being acknowledged as a great lyricist after two decades in the game.

Following a celebratory 25th Anniversary concert for his Paid In Full album, Rakim spoke on his legacy.

"It's a blessing to be in the game this long and to have your work recognized after 25 years," Rakim said in an interview. "It's a big thing. The MC's lifespan in the game is maybe seven years, 10 years, 12 years, so to be around and to get respect at this point is a blessing." (MTV)

In 2009, Rakim talked to SOHH about when rappers should call it quits.

"Yeah, I think what's happening is, rappers are becoming, especially for people that love a rapper, rap and hip-hop come to party," Rakim explained. "You can't just put it down. It's not like sports where you know, you lose a step. You can lose skills in rapping of course, but it's a little different man and I think sitting back and watching the R&B genre, you got, at any awards show and you see brothers like Al Green come out and tear it down. It's longevity in R&B and I think if it's done right, to an extent, I think we can have a little longer gevity in hip-hop, it don't just have to be a young music anymore. You got people like myself, I'm in my 40's now, early, early early like real early. I just touched 40, but still, I don't plan on stop listening to rap anytime soon and I don't plan to stop rhyming no time soon and it's that tug-of-war with the fans." (SOHH)

While only 29, Grammy-winning rapper Lil Wayne has announced plans to possibly hang up the mic following August's release of his long-awaited Tha Carter IV.

The Young Money leader also revealed to XXL that he plans to retire soon and hints at C4 possibly being his last offering. "I'm bowing out still on top," he says. "I'ma make y'all want me when I retire. I'ma make y'all be like, 'Nooo!' I ain't leaving out this b*tch when y'all be like, 'Yeah, it's about time, dawg.' Carter IV might be my last one. I'ma make y'all be like, 'F*ck!' Yeah, n*gga, I'm gone." (XXL Mag)

Grammy-winning rapper Eminem previously detailed his struggle with imagining retirement.

"We just haven't found anything that's been the right thing at the right time," Em explained in an interview about his film career. "I have to be finished with this album and then I'll probably want to jump into something like that. I don't know if there's a movie where I'll want to be in every single scene again, but something, yeah...It was, 'I don't want to be a rapper when I'm 40,' and the next time we talk it will be, "I don't want to be a rapper when I'm 50." Sixty is the cut-off. I can't be no 60-year-old rapper, son!" (Complex)