Jay-Z has weighed in on a longstanding internet debate over whether to choose lunch with the man himself or half a million dollars.

"You've gotta take the money," the rapper/producer/entrepreneur told Gayle King in an interview with CBS.

"You've got all that in the music for $10.99," he continued "I wouldn't tell you to cut a bad deal. Like, take the $500,000, go buy some albums, and listen to the albums."

"It's all there," Jay-Z continued. "If you piece it together and really listen to the music for the words, well, what it is, it's all there."

Jay-Z met up with King for an exclusive tour of "The Book of HOV," an exhibit at the Brooklyn Public Library that explores his work and career.

He told King his music is the blueprint of his life.

"Everything that I said was gonna happen, happened," he said. "Everything that I said I wanted to do, I've done."