Kanye West Says He's Quitting Rap Despite New Collabs Dropping

Consequence's "No Apologies" is now out with Ye yelling out the song title on the chorus and opening with an inspo quote ... "Real love is allowing people to be themselves/Showing vulnerability is actually being strong."

Kanye West is having a change of heart regarding his rap career and he's been texting his closest collaborators that the end may be near!!!

On Tuesday, Rich The Kid shared a text sent by Ye informing them he's run outta gas ... "I am retiring from professional music ... Not sure what else to do," the message read.

A source close to the situation tells TMZ Hip Hop that Ye feels that he's being sucked dry putting so much heart, soul, time and energy into the music industry ... what you've seen on TV over the years has been him giving it his all.

Rappers and retirement phases aren't anything new but Ye's revelation threw everyone for a loop ... just a few months ago, his "Vultures 1" album and its "Carnival" single were topping the Billboard Charts!!!

RTK -- and Consequence -- were equally surprised ... they both have collab tracks releasing this month!!!

RTK is dropping his anticipated "Life's a Gamble" album on July 19 featuring Ye on the song "Plain Jane" while Cons is releasing his latest Ye collab, "No Apologies" to kick off his upcoming album.

Cons tells TMZ Hip Hop he fully supports Ye's retirement ... his contribution to hip hop history is unmatched and from "The Good, The Bad, The Ugly" to Beyoncé's "Party," they have crates of classic collabs that'll last forever.

Ye and Ty Dolla $ign also announced recently they were hitting South Korea to stream the "Vultures 2" album.