Is Kanye West really retiring or is it a ploy?

Kanye West is retiring. Or so he says. The rapper who at times was the most famous artist in the world of hip-hop, announced that he is quitting the music business.

"I'm retiring from professional music. I'm not sure what else to do." This brief but impactful message Kanye West sent to his friend, rapper Rich The Kid, in a group chat.

The message says what it says and leaves no room for doubt. However, the circumstances surrounding the conversation between the rappers give rise to thinking that it could be more of a marketing maneuver than a real life decision.

For starters, Rich The Kid shared the semi-private message in an Instagram story for all his followers to see. He appeared to ignore his friend's privacy and the supposed trust that comes with a closed group chat.

Even though the rapper quickly removed his revealing story, it's obvious that anything posted by someone with 12 million followers, however briefly it's there, will go viral.

Photo: richthekid / Instagram

And then, the most suspicious thing about the whole maneuver was that Rich the Kid released a new album on July 19. Was his quickly deleted story a way to draw attention to his record?

'Life is a Gamble', Rich the Kid's new album, features two collaborations with Kanye West. They are the songs 'Gimme A Second 2' and 'Plain Jane'.

Photo: richthekid / Instagram

In addition, the artist recorded songs with Offset, Quavo (in the photo), Peso Pluma, and French Montana.

Is there any better promotion for your Instagram account and your new album than announcing Kanye West's retirement?

On top of that, there's something else we should consider: knowing Kanye West and his antiques of the past, would Ye really let someone other than him announce his retirement?

Time will tell! If Kanye West releases a single or album again, we will know that this ploy was only a marketing stunt. Until that moment, however, we will have to trust what the rappers say.

Photo: richthekid / Instagram