It’s the show everyone is talking about and tonight, Empire finally debuts in South Africa on FOX. The show has shattered records including being the only show in the world to increase in ratings every episode for 7 weeks (so far). The show centers around a hip hop music and entertainment company, Empire Enterprises, and the drama among the members of the founders’ family as they fight for control of the company. The world has clearly fallen in love with this TV show and I’ve got five reasons why you should tune into the show tonight.
The Music
FOX is the same channel behind Glee so you know they don’t play around when it comes to music needed for their shows. For Empire, they have brought on super-producer Timbaland to create some brilliant music and let me tell you that he does not disappoint. These songs are hits. Columbia Records releases weekly soundtracks of Empire on the iTunes Store, the same strategy used with Glee.
The Drama
Naturally, a show like this will be full of drama. There first episode explores why Cookie Lyon went to jail all those years ago, how Lucious Lyon deals with finding out that he is suffering from incurable disease ALS, Jamal Lyon wants to come out but Lucious does not want him to embarrass the family and Hakeem has terrible mommy issues. But trust me, there’s still a whole lot of drama to be explored.
Taraji P. Henson
There’s one character that steals the show – Cookie Lyon. Played by Taraji P. Henson, Cookie is Lucious’ outspoken ex-wife and mother of his three sons, who served a 17-year stretch in prison for drug dealing. She believes that her sacrifice helped make Empire as bit as it is since she started the business with Lucious those many years ago. That drug money helped Lucious finance the record label and make it as big as it is today. Upon her return from prison she is determined to bring the Lyon family back together. Taraji is brilliant in this role. She has the sass, the bitchyness, the heart and is a brilliant actress. She shines in this series.
Guest Stars
The show is filled with guest stars. Sure, many shows are. But Empire takes it to the next level. We have Naomi Campbell – a fashion designer and one of Hakeem’s older lovers. Macy Grey – Hakeem’s older lover who exercises control over him. Courtney Love – a multi platinum rock star and Empire royal, who battles with drug addiction. Cuba Gooding Jnr – a songwriter and old associate of Lucious and Cookie. Raven Symone – Jamal’s ex-wife and the mother of his child. Oh, and Jennifer Hudson and Rita Ora will also be making cameo appearances.
Behind The Scenes Look At The World Of Hip-Hop
Hip-Hop isn’t just about girls, alcohol and dollar bills. Not only does the show educate the viewer, to some extent, about how the hip-hop culture began, but it also shows just how rappers often struggle with not only their lyrics and melody, but the delivery of their rapping as well. This is in between shooting music videos, appearances, relationships and just living a normal life.
Still not convinced? Check out the trailer below and remember to catch Empire, Wednesdays at 21h00 on FOX (DSTV Channel 125).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBzu_jKLJek
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