During a recent sit-down with Gayle King, JAY-Z weighed in on the viral online debate over whether $500,000 or dinner with him is worth more.
via: People
The rap icon sat down with Gayle King for an interview on CBS Mornings to discuss the viral question that’s been heavily discussed by JAY-Z’s fans online, and he settled the debate with solid business advice.
“You gotta take the money,” said JAY-Z, 53, in a clip premiering exclusively on PEOPLE. “What I’mma say?”
King, 68, spoke about the ethos behind the debate, explaining that many people think the “wisdom” one could receive from the “99 Problems” rapper would help them make more than $500,000 on their own.
If JAY-Z had to choose, however, he’d still take the money. “Because you got all that in the music for $10.99. That’s a bad deal. I wouldn’t tell you to cut a bad deal,” he advised. “Take the $500,000, go buy some albums and listen to the albums. It’s all there.”
“If you piece it together and really listen to the music for the words, for what it is, it’s all there. Everything that I said was going to happen, happened. Everything that I said I wanted to do, I’ve done, and there’s the blueprint,” he added, referencing the title of his iconic 2001 album. “The blueprint — literally — to me and my life and my journey is there already.”
It’s unclear when the popular online question was first asked, but versions of the query were posted on Instagram at least as early as 2017, with one user writing, “$10,000 in cash or 10minute dinner with Jay-Z?”
Last week, a fan approached JAY-Z about the debate at the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Chargers game. According to video of the moment shared to social media, the man said, “I’m taking that $500K. I ain’t taking that dinner. I’m taking that $500K. Do you feel me? It’s love, though.”
At the time, the Grammy winner simply replied, “Be good, man.”
JAY-Z’s full two-part interview with King airs both Thursday and Friday on CBS Mornings.
