Rapper and entertainment mogul Jay-Z sat down with Oprah Winfrey on Thursday to discuss his childhood in Brooklyn, the N-Word, and his thoughts on Rihanna and Chris Brown.

Oprah and Jay-Z walked the Marcy projects, where the man also known as Shawn Carter explained what growing up in a rough environment taught him at a young age.

“You had to operate with the highest of integrity because it meant life and death.”

Jay-Z also told Oprah that he started selling drugs at the age of 13.

On the topic of the N-word, Oprah and Jay-Z agreed to disagree.  Jay-Z felt that people give words power and venom; Oprah believed that the word had a painful past that could never be changed or forgotten.

Jay-Z also spoke about the infamous incident with Chris Brown that left singer Rihanna battered and bruised.  The “Empire State of Mind” rapper suggested that Rihanna could be a positive role model in the fight against domestic violence, stating, “there’s a contention of young people who are going through the same things, and no one hears their voice. She can be their hero. Or she can choose not to grow from this.”

On Tuesday afternoon Chris Brown walked out of a Los Angeles court room, with five years of felony probation, 52 weeks of domestic-violence counseling and 180-days of community labor on his plate, after formal sentencing in the assault case against ex-girlfriend Rihanna. The judge’s ruling seems to be only part one of Brown’s repentance, however, as the R&B singer sat down with CNN’s Larry King the following day for his first exclusive interview since the infamous February assault.

Save for his quick video post with Bow Wow back in May, where Brown declared to his fans, “I’m not a monster,” and his public apology to his fans, the singer has remained relatively mum about both the incident and his relationship with Rihanna.

Now, post-sentencing Brown has finally made the decision to open up about the events that took place on the night of February 8 and the months following it. Brown sat down at CNN’s Hollywood studio yesterday to film his interview and according to E! Online, the 20-year-old, who was accompanied by his mother Joyce Hawkins and his attorney Mark Geragos, made it a point to answer every question he was asked.

Hot topics during the interview will likely include Brown’s probation report, which mentions previous incidents “related to domestic violence.” One of the most recent cases cited occurred three months before his February arrest where both Brown and Rihanna were reported to have assaulted each other during a “verbal dispute” in Europe.

Chris Brown’s Larry King interview will air on CNN, September 2.

Bruno, Borat and Ali G creator Sacha Baron Cohen has given a rare television interview as himself on the David Letterman Show.

Sacha, looking smart and relaxed in the clip, explained how he set about interviewing a terrorist for his new movie, Bruno, which opens in the UK tomorrow (July 10).

He tells David: “We thought one thing would a comedian interviewing a terrorist which I think has never been done before – with good reason. It’s not that easy to find an actual terrorist. In fact, your government has been looking for one for about nine years.”