Lewis Hamilton Snubs $2.5 Billion Lyrical Genius For $500k in Charity

Lewis Hamilton just can’t catch a break from attending fashion events and award shows whenever he gets the chance. Despite struggling on track, the Briton seems to be enjoying his off-track life, cutting away from the stress of F1. Recently, he appeared at the GQ Creativity Awards. Prior to the event, Hamilton was asked an interesting question on whether he would want to have lunch with the popular rapper Jay-Z or get $500,000 in cash. The Mercedes champion replied that he would rather take the cash for donating it to charity.

In an Instagram video by GQ, Hamilton said, “I would probably say $500,000, and then you can say donate it to charity and do something good with it”. Now, this doesn’t mean that the 39-year-old won’t want to meet Jay-Z. In fact, he later revealed how he has met the $2.5 billion worth rapper several times.

 

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Back in 2016, Hamilton enjoyed the Super Bowl 50 alongside Jay-Z and several other stars. This group involved Kendrick Lamar, Alicia Keys, Adriana Lima, Usher, and Swizz Beatz. The #44 driver posted a picture too with the caption, “In the presence of greatness!! #SB50′”.

At the GQ Awards, Hamilton highlighted how he has “had the privilege of meeting him [Jay-Z] many, many times”. However, given how frequently he can meet these stars from the music world, the novelty factor may have withered away for him.

Thus, it made sense why the Briton chose to take $500k in cash. In the past few years, his efforts towards philanthropy and charity have grown immensely, be it via monetary help or supporting important causes.

How Lewis Hamilton’s passion for music got fueled via studio meets with Jay-Z

Lewis Hamilton has always been passionate about music. However, his meetings and involvement with several singers and rappers have always fueled that passion further.

The seven-time champion was also in a long-term relationship with Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger. So, that was a big vantage point for Hamilton to increase his contacts in the industry.

Due to his relationship with Scherzinger, Hamilton also got the chance to visit the studio often with her. This is where he got the chance to meet and interact with singers like Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, and Pharrell Williams.

According to BBC, Hamilton explained how meeting those singers “was crazy” and that he wished he had his camera. This also led the Mercedes driver to build a studio for his then-girlfriend Scherzinger at his home.