Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx and hip-hop artist and author of Advance Your Swagger: How to Use Manners, Confidence, and Style to Get Ahead Fonzworth Bentley are making a difference in the lives of 14 rough-around-the-edges young men from across the country and giving them the tools to get ahead in MTV's new unscripted series, "From G's to Gents."

"I think this is going to be fabulous," Jamie tells ET's Kevin Frazier. "Sometimes reality shows show how crazy it can get. This is going in reverse. This is going to help a lot of people. We are trying to make a show, make money, but when you see these guys go through the transformation and hear all these beautiful stories, you can't help but be affected by it."

Jamie and the young woman who brought him the idea for the show sat in his house for a couple of months and hashed the idea out. And then Fonzworth was brought into the mix as the perfect person to front the series.

What they learned was that a lot of the persona of the 'G's' was caused by lack of knowledge and exposure.

"A lot of these guys have never gone outside their borders," Jamie continues. "There were kids in Los Angeles who had never been to Venice Beach or on a plane before -- the things we take for granted because we do them all the time."

The 14 guys are from a cross section of the U.S., including one  homeless guy who was living in a Mercedes. The one thing they all have in common is they want to change.

"A 'G' is the persona of not knowing and fronting. It is not racist," Jamie explains. "'G's are anybody who is not getting the chance to show their gentlemanly side."

"From G's to Gents" premieres Tuesday, July 15 at 10 p.m. on MTV.