Is Drake ready to leave hip hop? If he does he’s got plenty of other options

Is a Drake retirement on the near horizon?

The Toronto rapper — perhaps the most popular hip-hop superstar on the planet — set Twitter tongues a-wagging earlier Thursday when he posted a short interview clip he conducted with fellow hip-hop star Lil Yachty for the latter’s new line of Futuremood sunglasses.

It was in this clip that Aubrey Graham, a.k.a. Drake, revealed that his final days in the genre might be coming sooner than later.

“I think I’m at the point now where I just want to like — I think 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?” he told Miles McCollum, a.k.a. Lil Yachty, during the 22-second clip.

With such a short clip, no details and not much context, it’s easy to jump to the conclusion that Drizzy might be at the point where he feels he’s accomplished everything he’s needed to accomplish in the 16 years since he launched his first mixtape, 2006’s “Room For Improvement.”

After all, he’s been the pacesetter and tastemaker of hip hop for the better part of his career: the majority of Drake’s nine studio albums, seven mixtapes and numerous EPs, and singles like “Hotline Bling,” “God’s Plan,” “Best I Ever Had,” “One Dance” and “Toosie Slide” have leapt to the top of the Billboard charts, registering over 75 billion streams and a reported 170 million records sold worldwide. Anytime you hear a rapper either sing or reveal his feelings, Drake’s influence is undeniable.

But hip hop hasn’t been Graham’s only livelihood: he’s kept his fingers in numerous other pies, ranging from an executive producer role in film and television, most notably the Emmy Award-winning “Euphoria” on HBO, and of course the OVO-October’s Very Own clothing line and retail chain he co-owns with his manager, Oliver El-Khatib, and record producer Noah “40” Shebib, which sports 11 locations worldwide, including stores in the U.S., England and Japan.

There’s the OVO Sound label distributed by Warner that includes signings PartyNextDoor, Dvsn, Majid Jordan and Naomi Sharon in its ranks; a line of scented candles; and instant sellout tours that have grossed him several hundred millions of dollars throughout the years and help funded the construction of his enormous Bridle Path mansion.

That’s just a drop in the bucket — there are a few more ventures that I’m sure we’re unaware of likely in development.

He’s also hinted that he might be ready to return to acting, the platform on which he first enjoyed public exposure in the role of Jimmy Brooks in “Degrassi: The Next Generation” from 2001 through 2009.

Needless to say, the guy has options, but the conversation clip with Lil Yachty didn’t stop many on Twitter from expressing disappointment that the 6 God might be calling it a day in the not-too-distant future.

“Crying and throwing up” tweeted an individual named 6Jason6 after viewing the clip.

“Day ruined,” responded @nicole…..ik, while Luca Guerini declared, “Y’all may not realize it now but hip-hop won’t be the same once Drake retires.”

A man named Turi, in replying to Guerini, asked an even more pertinent question: “Who’s gonna take his place? Without Drake, hip-hop wouldn’t be in the mainstream dominance it’s in.”

One thing’s for certain: for many, Drake is considered the GOAT — the greatest of all time — and they aren’t nearly ready to let Champagne Papi go.

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