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Jay-Z settles the “$500K or lunch” debate once and for all

“You gotta take the money,” Jay told Gayle King in a new interview.

October 23, 2023

It's the debate that has plagued social media for years. If just one was available, would you pick $500,000 in cash or a lunch with Jay-Z. The logic given by those who pick the latter being that you'd be in a position to make much more money after picking the brain of one of the music world's most successful moguls. Jay-Z, however, sees it differently.

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Speaking as part of a new interview with Gayle King, Jay said that answer is obvious... you take the money every time. "You gotta take the money. Because you got all that [knowledge] in the music for $10.99. That’s a bad deal," he said. "I wouldn’t tell you to cut a bad deal. Take the $500,000, go buy some albums and listen to the albums. It’s all there."

He added, "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 his 2001 album. "The blueprint — literally — to me and my life and my journey is there already."

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The full interview between King and Jay-Z will be aired on CBS Mornings later this week. He spoke to her as promotion for The Book of HOV exhibit at the Brooklyn Public Library, which opened earlier this year and explores his life and career.

Posted: October 23, 2023