In April 2011, JAY-Z was fined by the NBA for visiting the Kentucky Wildcats' locker room. As Jay boasts later in the song, he was a minority shareholder of the NBA’s New Jersey Nets at the time—so he wasn’t allowed to communicate with players who aren’t draft-eligible.

With his then-$450 million net worth, $50,000 wouldn’t make a dent, whereas it’s a life changing amount of money for normal people. In one Reddit post, an econ major actually laid out the math.

50 grand is a recurring figure in Hova’s life. He famously dropped a $50,000 tip after spending $250,000 at Watch the Throne’s release party in Miami, and in 2001 he bet 50K that he could spit his “One Minute Man” remix verse flawless.

In 2012, Hov invited Kentucky coach John Calipari to his opening show at the new $5 billion Barclays Center in September: "I told Jay-Z that I might get fined $50k for being in HIS locker room tonight. He said "I got you". #Lafamilia" (Calipari)