It looks like Jay-Z's retirement may be short-lived, as producer Timbaland has announced that he is working on another album with the rapper.

Brooklyn's Jay-Z announced his retirement from the business after the release of his top-selling Black Album in 2003, but recently started rumours flying with hints of another album in an interview with the Associated Press.

"I believe the industry as a whole needs certain events to happen to sustain it and keep it alive," he told interviewers.

"You need Dre albums, you need Eminem albums, you need 50 Cent albums, you need big artists, you need major events that happen. So when I look at it in those terms, I believe that an album is needed."

However, a comeback is looking more like a dead cert after Timbaland told BBC's 1Xtra that he was currently working on some of Jay-Z's tracks.

Timbaland wouldn't give away many details about the collaboration, but said that Jay-Z's project was the only thing he was producing at the moment.

Personifying a music industry rags-to-riches fairy tale for many fans, Jay-Z released a string of successful albums between 1996 and 2003 before retiring to become president of Def Jam records.

However, he nearly didn't reach success because people didn't think he was "ghetto" enough, according to new claims.

Damon Dash, who with Jay-Z founded Roc-A-Fella records, has said that the rapper was seen as lacking street credibility when he was starting out.

"Everybody thought he was too old. They didn't like the way he dressed -like a Harlem dude," he said.

"The Brooklyn cats who were more dominant were known for doing things like gold teeth, much more ghetto."

Dash, who produced some of Jay-Z's first tracks, admitted that he had been impressed by Jay-Z's determination and focus on achieving his dreams, though.

Pop diva Beyonce was obviously impressed by something when she met Jay-Z too, recently confessing in an interview that he was "easy" to love.

Although the pair have been romantically linked since 2003, the former Destiny's Child singer has been notoriously reluctant to make any comment about their relationship to the press.

"It's very easy. He's so quick. And we respect each other. If I have any suggestions he respects it. If he has any suggestions, I respect it," she told MTV.