Jay-Z Finally Settles The Viral Debate Over Lunch With Him Or $500K

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Jay-Z
Rapper Jay Z and actor Robert De Niro talk during the amFAR New York Gala at Cipriani Wall Street in New York, NY on February 10, 2016.
Jay-Z wouldn't tell you to cut a bad deal. Just take the money.

It seems like Jay-Z’s had enough of the Dinner With Jay-Z Or $500,000 debate. Last week, the rapper finally acknowledged the conversation after a fan told him he’d take the $500,000. Hov smirked and replied, “Be good,” but now, the 4:44 MC has finally provided his 2 cents on the conversation. Sitting down with CBS Mornings’ Gayle King at a replica of Baseline Studios at the Brooklyn Library, Jay-Z explained that it was a no-brainer: take the money. Although some might say he has invaluable knowledge to impart to his lunch guests, Jay-Z doesn’t think that it would amount to half a million.

“You got to take the money. What I’mma say?” Jay-Z told Gayle. While she argued that he’d have “beneficial” advice, Jay explained that he’s laid down the blueprint for his success in his albums. “You got all of that in the music for $10.99,” he said. “That’s a bad deal. I wouldn’t tell you to cut a bad deal.” He said that it’s far better to invest a small portion of that $500,000 to purchase his discography. “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 I said I wanted to do, I’ve done… The blueprint to me and my life and my journey is there already.”

Even Jay-Z Wants You To Take The $500K

In all fairness, Jay-Z kinda suggested in the past that he didn’t think having lunch with him would be worth the same at half a milli. As the Dinner With Jay-Z Or $500,000 argument continuously hits the timeline, a tweet from TIDAL’s official X (formerly Twitter) account urged their followers to take the $500,000. So, it’s not really a surprise that Jay would encourage others to take the bread, especially since, as rumor has it, he already came into the rap game with his pockets loaded.

Interestingly enough, Haha Davis learned this firsthand. He previously recalled having lunch with Jay-Z. Although Davis was already hungry, Jay-Z apparently came to lunch a bit late and declined to have anything to eat. However, he admitted that plenty of business opportunities came out of that meeting so maybe, dinner with Hov might be worth it after all. Check out the snippet from Jay-Z’s interview with Gayle King above. The full interview airs this Thursday and Friday on CBS Mornings.  

About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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