(Photo: Courtesy Instagram/50 Cent)

By Dan Reagans

Over the years, Oprah has made it known she doesn’t really care for hip hop culture due to its misogynistic lyrics and glorification of violence, but things might be changing. The media mogul recently spent some time with her arch-nemesis Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson for the latest edition of her one-on-one interview series, Oprah’s Next Chapter, and the experience was eye-opening.  The two superstar personalities were able to hash out their difference as 50 introduced Oprah to a side of him rarely seen in the public. Despite Fif’s past rants and criticisms of the billionaire entertainment magnate, he was able to charm the iconic talk show host, scoring a win for rap music in the process. While it’s not safe to say Oprah has 50’s classic debut Get Rich or Die Tryin’ on her iPod, we can assume that day is closer than before.

Jay-Z might have to take the credit for tipping the first domino after taking Oprah on a visit to his old stomping grounds, Brooklyn’s own Marcy Projects, in 2009 during their now famous interview. What unfolded during Oprah’s latest foray with a rapper is that the G-Unit bossman helped put another human face on the genre that she previously despised. The Queen of Media was obviously impressed with Fif’s upbringing and humble demeanor as he told stories of the values his grandparents instilled in him, his philanthropic efforts and his spiritual side. We bet Lady O didn’t expect that the rapper who may have been the most divisive force since Tupac Shakur could be the same man currently leading efforts to impact a billion lives with his Street King mission to feed children in third world countries.

On the surface, this long overdue sit down has buried the hatchet between two of entertainment’s biggest names, but this meeting truly had a deeper impact. It poses another example of showcasing the success of hip hop in a supremely positive light for the masses who don’t understand/shun the culture. Presenting hip hop in a light that does not solely draw attention to or glorify the violence, misogyny and materialism is still an uphill battle, but this is a step in the right direction.

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