Jay Z - Jay-Z: Rappers Must Be Original

Rapper JAY-Z is using the publicity surrounding his retirement to issue advice to aspiring hip-hop artists - be original.

The boyfriend of R+B babe BEYONCE KNOWLES - who has released nine albums during his eight-year rap career - believes the constant stream of copycat hopefuls is threatening the genre's credibility.

He says, "The bad thing is, once you have a person who's successful doing one thing, you're gonna get 10 people doing that same thing and that's not cool. That's done already - do something else, be original."