The Internet is full of viral hypothetical debates. Would you rather fight one horse-sized duck or 100 duck-sized horses? Is it a black and blue dress or a white and gold dress? What TV show has a perfect ending? If there’s an opinion to give, you know people will be weighing in.
One of those common debates is would you rather have $500,000, or to have lunch with Jay-Z? The implication being that the wisdom you would learn from the multi-billionaire would be worth far more than $500,000.
Well, there’s good news for anyone who has ever pondered this question.
CBS’ Gayle King recently asked the question to Jay himself. He has an answer. And it’s a no-brainer!
(Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
“You’ve gotta take the money.”
That’s what Jay told Gayle King on CBS Mornings.
When King pushed back that lunch would give access to Jay-Z’s mind, he noted there are other ways for people to achieve that.
“You can get all that in the music for $10.99… That’s a bad deal. 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.“
Hova has a valid point. He has three records with some variation of “The Blueprint” in the title, laying out the foundation for his success.
And in the song “The Story of O.J.” from his most recent album, 2017’s 4:44, there’s a line that echoes what he told King in this interview.
“Y’all think it’s bougie, I’m like, it’s fine / But I’m tryin’ to give you a million dollars worth of game for $9.99.“
Jay-Z, who’s been married to Beyonce since 2008, has sold more than 140 million records and earned 24 Grammy awards over the course of his career to date. His Roc Nation Entertainment Agency (also founded in 2008) has grown into a behemoth, featuring a comprehensive talent and sports agency, entertainment management, fashion line, and TV and film enterprises. He first became a billionaire in June 2019. In February 2023 Jay sold half of his 50% stake in D’Usse cognac to Bacardi (which already owned the other 50%) for $750 million. That $3 billion overall implied valuation also meant his remaining 25% was worth $750 million. Before the sale, Jay-Z’s net worth was $1.3 billion. After the sale he was worth $2 billion. That’s his current net worth.
If you think it’s crazy to “give up” $500,000 to have lunch with a billionaire, keep in mind that every year Warren Buffett auctions a lunch with him for charity. Last year someone paid $19 MILLION for that honor.
Watch the full segment with Jay-Z and Gayle King below: