Jay-Z finally settles THAT viral ‘dinner or $500K debate’: Rapper weighs in on wildly popular meme as he sits down for rare interview with Gayle King – after she convinced him to go on CBS with ‘very annoying groveling’
Jay-Z fans have been up in arms about a viral debate over whether, given the choice, they should accept half a million dollars in cash from him or sit down for lunch with the rapper.
Now the 53-year-old hitmaker has finally waded in to give his opinion – and he’s urging people to go for the money.
The rapper and business mogul, real name Shawn Carter, insisted he wouldn’t tell anyone to “make a bad deal” as he put the years-long debate to bed during a two-part interview with 68-year-old Gayle King on CBS Mornings. .
The TV host, who revealed she had ‘crawled’ to secure the rare chat, asked: ‘If you had the choice of getting paid $500,000 in cash or having lunch with Jay-Z, what would you choose ?
In delivering his verdict, Jay Z insisted, “You should take the money.”
Jay-Z has finally put an end to a viral hypothetical debate over whether fans should take half a million dollars in cash from his money – or share a meal with him
In an interview with Gayle King, 68, the rapper, 53, urged people to take the money
Gayle interjected, “Just because people say that of course you would have lunch with Jay-Z because the wisdom you would get from him would be so helpful to you.”
But Jay-Z doubled down on his stance, emphasizing that he would take the money because all his wisdom is already available in his lyrics.
“You can get all that in music for $10.99,” he noted. “I wouldn’t tell you to make a bad deal. For example, take the $500,000, go buy some albums and listen to the albums.
‘It’s all there. When you put it together and really listen to the music for the words, well, what it is, it’s all there.”
He continued, “Everything I said would happen, happened. Everything I said I wanted to do, I did.”
Viewers were quick to agree with the critically acclaimed musician, while also jokingly speculating that he really doesn’t want to have dinner by candlelight with any of his fans.
Speaking to X, formerly known as Twitter, one user said: “He just doesn’t want to sit across from you guys and listen to your ridiculous pitches. Me neither. Take the money.”
Another said: ‘I agree with Jay Z! I’d take the 500k! That’s life-changing money.’
He helpfully pointed out that all his conveying wisdom is in his lyrics
Fans agreed with Jay-Z that they should take the money to lunch
A third added: ‘The man himself basically said you’d be an idiot if you joined us for dinner. The debate is over.’
Handing over $500,000 wouldn’t be a difficult feat for Jay-Z, who is currently valued at $2.5 billion, according to Forbes.
Gayle admitted she was surprised by Jay-Z’s response, telling her colleagues, “I didn’t expect this, I thought he was going to say, ‘It would be a really good lunch.’ But he’s a smart businessman.’
The rapper, who is married to Beyonce, has sold more than 140 million records – earning 24 Grammy Awards – and has launched a business empire with investments in clothing lines, food and drink and record labels.
Gayle revealed that she crawled with Jay-Z to sit down and talk to her for CBS Mornings, adding that it was a “very effective technique.”
‘You know what I thought was so cool? First of all, he rarely does interviews.” she told her co-hosts. ‘I can only say that crawling is sometimes a very effective technique.
‘They were some very annoying questions. I think he did it so I would leave him alone.”
Gayle King admitted she was surprised by Jay-Z’s response, while also revealing she begged the rapper for an interview
Jay-Z, pictured here with wife Beyoncé at the Grammys, insisted: ‘I wouldn’t tell you to make a bad deal’
The viral debate has been a topic of public debate for years, with fans discussing it in 2017
This isn’t the first time Jay-Z has been asked about the debate.
Last week, a fan filmed himself approaching the rapper at the Dallas Cowboys-Los Angeles Chargers game, where he announced, “I’ll take that $500,000.” I’m not having that dinner.
“I’ll take the $500,000. Do you feel Me? But it is love.’
In the clip, shared to Instagram, Jay-Z fist-bumped with the fan and replied, “Be good, man.”
While it remains unclear how the viral debate came about, it has been in the public debate at least since 2017, when the question was asked on Instagram.