Madonna basically never stopped. She's been releasing music constantly for the past thirty years, at a rate of at least one every three years. During that time, she's changed her style frequently, sometimes staying with the times and sometimes defining them. 1992's 'Erotica' was scandalously sexual for its time, and 1996's 'Ray of Light' is credited with doing much to popularize techno-pop.
The one area in which she never progressed, no matter how hard she tried, was cinema. She even had Guy Ritchie write and direct 'Swept Away' for her in 2002 during her marriage to him, but couldn't find the acclaim from critics that she wanted. As many people know she's also adopted several children from third world countries, starting a trend which Angelina Jolie quickly followed. At the age of 60, Madonna is currently working on her 14th album, which will apparently contain 'Portuguese fado music.'