Back in 2010, 50 found himself reflecting on his contributions to society. "I started assessing my legacy and how I want people to remember me," he told Rolling Stone at a press event earlier this week for the second season of SundanceTV's education-based reality show Dream School. "Not as a guy who made a couple of cool songs or picked a couple of good roles in film and television, but more as someone who helped others the most. I spent so much time dealing with the business portion of the music business for [2009's] Before I Self Destruct, it gave me enough time to reflect on who I want to be."
Rolling Stone reports that it was at this time that 50 came across "Jamie Oliver's Dream School," a 2011 British documentary in which the Jamie Oliver, a notorious chef, brings low-performing students into a school taught by teachers and celebrities. 50 immediately wanted to pick the show up and bring it to the US, succeeding in doing so last year when "Dream School" debuted on SundanceTV.
Now, the show is back for a second season, the first episode of which premiered last night (October 1st). The new series finds 15 New York City students who have previously dropped out or been expelled getting a chance to graduate. Recruited teachers include Chuck D (who joins 50 an executive producer), figure skater Johnny Weir and chef-restaurant owner David Chang, among others.
"When the students get a chance to see people that are in a position that they can aspire to who have had similar tough situations in front of them, then they don't make excuses for not being successful and can identify with them," 50 said in a panel alongside civil rights lawyer Gloria Allred, who also appears as a teacher in the show. "They look at the content you create that is aimed at the dysfunctional behavior in the communities you grew up in and they know you know. It's an opportunity to utilize your celebrity in the right way."
Check out the trailer for the new season below. The latest promo, meanwhile, is available here.