Jay-Z Would Much Rather You Take the $500,000 Than Have Dinner With Him

Jay-Z has officially settled the most online “would you rather” since the great horse-sized duck debate of the early-2000s: Would you rather have one meal with Jay-Z and pick his brain, or get $500,000 cash?

“You gotta take the money,” Jay quipped without hesitation when asked about the conundrum in a new interview with Gayle King on CBS. “What am I gonna say?”

King tried pressing the hip-hop mogul with the argument for taking the meal, noting, “The wisdom you would get… would be so beneficial.” But Jay remained steadfast, pointing out that he’s been sharing all that wisdom for decades.

“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 cracked. “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 gonna happen, happened; everything I said I wanted to do, I’ve done.” 

Jay proceeded to end the debate with the perfect pun. “There’s the blueprint — The Blueprint, literally — to me and my life and my journey is there already.” 

King’s full interview with Jay-Z will air in two parts on CBS Mornings this week, Thursday and Friday, Oct. 26 and 27. The profile will also include a tour of Jay-Z’s “Book of HOV” exhibit, which opened at the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library back in July (it will remain on display until Dec. 4). 

Amidst celebrating his legacy and settling extremely online debates, Jay is also prepping some new music for next year. The rapper/mogul served as a producer on, and contributed new music to, Jeymes Samuel’s upcoming Biblical epic, The Book of Clarence. The film — which stars Lakeith Stanfield — is set to open in theaters on Jan. 12, 2024.

From Rolling Stone US.