Jay-Z Defends Billionaires in GQ Interview, Says Wealth Does Not Determine Character

Jay-Z pushed back against critics who claim billionaires are bad people. He spoke with GQ on Tuesday. The musician has built a fortune worth $2.8 billion, per Forbes. He called linking someone's morals to their money "like a cop-out."

"Your morality defines who you are. Your morality is not defined by a dollar amount," the rapper told GQ. "If so, what is that dollar amount? When does it start? If it's a cutoff like 'all millionaires are bad,' at $999,000 I'm good? It can't be that way."

The artist argued that having more money lets people do more good. "I've done things with my reach that I wanted to do that was helpful for a lot of people," he said.

When asked about public opinion that all billionaires are bad, he dismissed it. "I don't give a f--- what you say," he told GQ. "People behave the way they want to behave — it's not a dollar amount."

He said critics "demonize this group of folks without fixing the actual system that exists." Money might change how someone acts, the hip-hop mogul added. But "you was going to act like that anyway."

Forbes estimates that much of his $2.8 billion comes from liquor sales. He sold half of Armand de Brignac to LVMH in 2021. Then he sold most of D'Usse to Bacardi in 2023.

The co-founder and chairman of Roc Nation owns other things, too. His music catalog. A fine art collection. Stakes in Uber and Tidal. His wife, Beyoncé, became a billionaire in December with an estimated net worth of $1 billion, per Forbes.

The interview also touched on a sexual assault lawsuit filed in October 2024 that accused him and Sean "Diddy" Combs of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000. The case was dropped in February 2025 after an NBC News report called the plaintiff's account into question. "It took a lot out of me," he told GQ, adding he refused to settle despite it being "cheaper" and "quicker."

He spoke with GQ as he prepares to return to performing. Two shows at Yankee Stadium are scheduled for July to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his debut album Reasonable Doubt and the 25th anniversary of The Blueprint. A third show was announced after the first two sold out.