Previously on Empire...
Anonymous my ass.
It's just a matter of time
until Cookie and Lucious find out.
When do we tell the Lyons that I'm buying Empire?
Leave the Lyons to me.
I was always better than you!
COOKIE: Are we okay,
- Lucious? - I promise you, our hands
are clean.
We're launching
one final event: House Empire.
HAKEEM: Welcome to my world, baby.
Is that the girlfriend who fired you?
- (CAMERAS CLICKING) - Ooh...
COOKIE: Is that Blake?
BLAKE: My father forced me
- to take that photo. - Get out.
And I'm grateful to Empire's board
for granting me the power to be able to make sure
that-that this never happens again.
(AUDIENCE GASPS)
(WHISPERING): This is who you are.
This is all you will ever be.
TIANA: ♪ We stayin' high ♪
♪ We never going low, 'cause I'm-a be ♪
♪ I'm-a be your best friend, your best friend ♪
- ♪ Your ride or your die ♪ - ♪ Hey ♪
♪ Shotgun I'll call for the rest of my life ♪
- ♪ Hey ♪ - ♪ I'll be your Bonnie, and you be my Clyde ♪
♪ Just don't let them, don't let them take ♪
♪ Take us down. ♪
(WHOOPS)
TIANA: Thank you. On behalf
of the entire Empire family and yours truly,
welcome back, Eddie.
- Thank you. - EDNA: Eddie Barker,
I'LL BE SHORT:
You saved our ass.
- I was happy to help. - (BOTH LAUGH)
Uh, it's just kind of convenient
how you happened to be there at that moment.
Just fortunate circumstances, that's all.
Uh, after the recent negligent and aggressive behavior
of the current Lyon leadership,
I move that the board vote
in favor of reinstating Eddie Barker
as executive consultant.
We need him.
Second.
So y'all just held this meeting
so y'all could steamroll over us?
EDNA: All in favor?
Aye.
ALL: Aye.
We have the majority.
- Welcome back, Eddie. - Thank you.
- I accept. - (APPLAUSE)
It's good to be back.
COOKIE: He's a Judas.
Damn traitor.
He's gonna convince the board members
to sell Empire to Kelly Patel.
We need to identify members who have our backs.
And then do what? Beg? Jump through
some more hoops?
This is my company!
I don't jump through hoops!
And if that's
the only advice you got, maybe you should
take your suggestions and get the hell out of here.
- COOKIE: Okay, Lucious... - I'm just here to help, Pop.
Okay? I'm just here to help.
COOKIE: All right.
You know what?
Let me have a minute with your dad.
All right, baby? Thank you.
- Thanks, Thirsty. - You got it, Cook.
Can you believe it? I mean...
you and me, we supposed to be traveling the world right now.
Our sons are supposed to be lording over their kingdom.
And instead, we're over here arguing and arm wrestling
with a damn board again.
Well, as long as there's a board,
there's always gonna be someone who's not a Lyon
trying to steal this company from us,
and this time it's Eddie.
And he's supposed to be my friend.
I got it.
We'll beat him to it.
We'll buy Empire back from the shareholders.
Go private? After everything
I've sacrificed so that we can have a spot
on the New York Stock Exchange?
This is my dream.
Okay. You're not the only one
who's made sacrifices here, Lucious.
And what part of your dream
includes begging a bunch of strangers?
We built this company on music.
And lately, we've been worried about everything but.
But if we go private,
you're talking about us raising
hundreds of millions of dollars.
You know how hard that is?
(CHUCKLES)
Ain't nothing ever been easy for us, Lucious. You know that.
All we got to do is sell some property, some art,
put the Lyon money together...
If we sell everything that we've ever owned,
we still will come up short.
Okay, so what do you propose, then, huh?
We get... we quit? We give up?
No, I'm not saying that. I'm...
Well, then, how do we save this, Lucious?
How do we save what we built?
COOKIE: You know, why don't you move that?
Why don't you just play to the first four bars of the verse
and then come up with a new hook.
COOKIE: Promise me
you'll keep playing.
Baby, this album is gonna be big.
I can feel it.
COOKIE: I can deal with what comes at me in here
as long as I know
you out there growing what we built.
'Cause it's you and me.
Cookie and Lucious forever.
You're right.
We have to buy back Empire.
Okay.
Subtitle sync and corrections by awaqeded for www.addic7ed.com.
("GOOD FOOT" PLAYING)
♪ Ha! Everybody want the recognition ♪
- ♪ Hey ♪ - ♪ Kill the game, kill the competition ♪
♪ Ha! Everybody want a platform ♪
♪ They don't ever want no intermission ♪
♪ Whoo! I tell the truth, boy, I don't lie ♪
♪ Ha! I'm in the open like a clothesline ♪
- ♪ Whoo! ♪ - ♪ Stop all that talking ♪
♪ Make your breath stank, ha! ♪
- ♪ Don't let me catch you on my bad side ♪ - ♪ Yeah ♪
- ♪ Just stop, baby, take a break ♪ - ♪ Yeah
♪ Eyes bigger than your stomach, too much on your plate ♪
- ♪ Yeah ♪ - ♪ Ha! I'm like the weather down in L.A. ♪
- ♪ Yeah -♪ Can't nobody shade me on my sunny days ♪
♪ Why? My team on the good foot ♪
♪ Good foot ♪
♪ Get down with your bad self ♪
- ♪ My team take a good look - ♪ Good look
- ♪ Hold up, hold up, hold up - ♪ 'Cause we down
♪ Till the last breath ♪
♪ I guess heart is a lost art as long as ♪
♪ Li'l so-and-so probably act hard ♪
♪ I guess fame can be bought now ♪
♪ I guess eeny, miney, mo how they fill the charts ♪
♪ I guess planes, trains, automobiles ♪
♪ Oh, that's your goal when we want ♪
♪ All the world to be healed ♪
♪ Oh, that's your soul getting bought just to bow ♪
♪ For the deal, so for a Roley or some ice ♪
♪ You would probably kill ♪
♪ Man, look ♪
- ♪ My team... - TORY: Hold up, hold up.
- Hold up. - Oh, we-we just...
- I hate ya'll. - (LAUGHS)
(LAUGHS) That sounds dope, yo.
I think we should have a few adjustments to the hook,
but overall, I really think that we have
- something great here, you guys. - Mm-hmm. - Yeah.
Better than "Emotions"? It was downloaded a gazillion times.
Everybody want to know who we are.
Oh! Look who's all spoiled, y'all.
- Check it out. - LONNIE: Nah.
Don't do me. I'm fly.
- You know I'm fly. - JAMAL: Hey, Miss Fancy.
- She's fancy. - AZAL: I hate to play
devil's advocate. I know we're having a good time.
But really, I mean, there's nobody here
that's worried it might be too much?
That somebody, maybe someone's gonna out us?
- ALEX: Hey, man. - (SPUTTERS)
- Maybe that's not a bad thing. - AZAL: Nah.
Nah, man. Nope.
LONNIE: Ain't nothing wrong with a little fame
- and money. - TORY: Okay, that's not the focus.
The focus here is about the music.
Okay? Not about us.
And also remember that precisely why "Emotions" did well
is because no one knew that it was us.
This has nothing to do with who any of us are.
And I'm sick of having these conversations
about "too big" or whatever.
Let's just make it about the music, 'cause what we're doing
- is great, right? - Okay, so enough of the yapping.
- Let's go. - All right, all right, come on.
Five, four, three, two, one, come on.
♪ Big shoes, big shoes ♪
♪ My new one got some really big shoes to fill ♪
- ♪ Made moves, made moves - ♪ Moves ♪
♪ I moved on, but I think about you for real ♪
- ♪ Big shoes, big shoes - (PHONE VIBRATING)
♪ My new one got some really big shoes to fill ♪
- ♪ Made moves, made moves - ♪ Moves ♪
♪ I moved on... ♪
Really? Tiana's song is your alarm?
She's probably the one that's been blowing you up all night.
- (SIGHS) Nah, it ain't her, babe. - (PHONE VIBRATES)
I do need to change my number, though.
- (PHONE VIBRATES) - Come here.
(GIGGLES)
♪ It's Hakeem
♪ What up, baby?
Eddie's not the only one that's got billionaires
- in his pocket. - How do you know Sam Gold?
Well, met him at a fundraiser,
and he's always been a fan of my music,
especially through college.
Think he'll give us the money without any strings attached?
Otherwise, he wouldn't take the meeting.
(THIRSTY CLEARS THROAT)
EDDIE: Lyon clan.
Out for a stroll?
Oh, no, we're actually gonna help you out.
Gonna pick up some crab cream for Anika here.
(THIRSTY LAUGHS)
- I don't have time for this. - No, we don't.
Yeah, well, you keep itching and scratching and burning.
(LUCIOUS LAUGHS)
Oh, were you on your way to see Sam Gold?
'Cause we just came from there.
What, he didn't call you?
Probably wanted to tell you in person.
Good guy, Sam.
But he's not interested.
You know why?
Because he knows that if he fronts you the money,
then he has to go up against Kelly Patel,
and he's not built like that.
THIRSTY: This is Thirsty Rawlings for Sam Gold, please.
And frankly, my beloveds,
neither are you.
You keep playing games with me, Eddie.
Not gonna beat me.
You sure about that, Lu?
LUCIOUS: Thank you, Quincy. Hey, you said
it was a blood sport from day one,
but I'm just glad you still my man
and Eddie wasn't able to seduce you.
I know that you and Barack are still on vacation.
That's why I'm so happy you took this call. Thank you.
That sounds good.
Yes.
- So, where we at? - Well, um,
with Oprah's offering, we tack on another point
- per share, so... - We did it.
- ANDRE: Yes, sir. - LUCIOUS: Yeah!
Today was, um, it was a master class
in relationship building.
I told you me and your mama had something new to teach you.
THIRSTY: Lucious.
We got a problem. Turn on the news.
Let's take a look. This morning...
Why are our shares going up?
Because Kelly Patel is buying them at a premium.
We can't just keep raising money and let them buy the company
out from under us anyway.
I mean, isn't there some way we can find out
what his top dollar is?
I can get the number.
Look, Eddie thinks that I agree with his strategy for Empire.
I can make him think I bailed on you two.
Eddie's not that stupid.
Yeah. Yeah, how in the hell
would you make something like that work?
Well, Eddie thinks Th-there's friction
between Andre and the rest of the family.
I mean, he even asked me about it. It might work.
I know exactly what to say to him.
ANDRE: My father turned his back on me,
and there's nothing I can do to get his respect.
That is why I'm here, that's the only reason I'm here.
How much more of this do we have to listen to?
Why the change of heart?
You didn't back my play with your parents.
Lucious wants to take the company backwards.
I don't. We don't belong in the back.
If I have to come here and...
and I have to do this with you, then I'm... I'm willing.
If it makes things right over there, I'm-I'm willing.
(CHUCKLING)
Really?
Eddie. This nonsense?
Anika, you know as well as anyone
that Lucious can't stand to be in the same room as me.
You also know as well as anyone
that Empire could be so much bigger
if not for his limitations.
Now, banging out singles is not enough in 2018.
- You know it and I know it. - Okay.
So why do I need you?
I'm a Lyon.
It's not a coup that works
if you don't have a Lyon by your side, Uncle.
I'm that Lyon.
My daughter's a Lyon.
- We're good here. - No, no. Listen, Eddie.
Uncle Eddie.
You're not like Lucious, okay?
Don't-don't let emotion get in the way
of good business... you said that.
You-you told me that.
I'm willing to set up a press conference
and announce my allegiance to you.
In front of everybody... anytime, anyplace.
Anywhere.
Your call.
Hmm.
ANDRE: I have the utmost confidence
that Eddie Barker, a longtime friend of our family,
and a good friend,
will lead Empire into this bright new era.
Now, my parents did a great thing
giving birth to this company, but, uh...
but they're artists, not business people,
and it's time that Empire went global.
With Kelly Patel's acquisition, it will.
Thank you.
We only have time for a few questions,
so let's keep them short, please. Rebecca.
Are you planning on buying out all of the Lyons' shares?
EDDIE: That's a question, we, uh...
- REPORTER: Cookie! - One second. H-Hold on.
Hey! Hey, Cookie, what's up with your son's flip?
- Uh, no comment. - He doubts your ability
to run Empire... what do you say to that?
EDDIE: Everybody...
(EXCITED CHATTER)
(REPORTERS CLAMORING)
EDDIE: Let's take the questions
- one at a time. - (CHATTER CONTINUES)
Lady and gentleman, congratulations.
I'd like to make a toast.
To the Empire.
- To the Empire. Cheers. - To the Empire.
- Cheers. - Cheers.
You might not have made the easy choice,
- but you made the right one, Andre. - Damn straight.
That's one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, but...
- it feels right. - I am genuinely excited
about this content play.
EDDIE: We'll keep luring them in with music,
and you'll take the user data and monetize it
- every which way to Sunday. - (ANIKA CHUCKLES)
Why are we cooped up in here? Let's go out.
- Let's celebrate. - All right!
- All right. - Sounds like a plan to me.
- So, where do you want to go? - You tell me.
- I chose last time. - Okay.
- You choose this time. And you're paying. - Okay.
- Oh. Forgot my jacket. I'll catch up. - All right.
(CAMERA CLICKING)
You all right, Andre?
- Got my jacket. - Let's get out of here.
- (PHONE CHIMES) - LUCIOUS: Oh, wow.
Andre came through.
Kelly Patel's bottom line number.
- $650 million. - (SCOFFS)
(THIRSTY LAUGHS)
We ain't got it.
And Eddie and Patel put a chokehold
on the bank and the VC money.
Maybe we need to, uh, circle back around
to that punk, Sam Gold.
No, damn it. I am sick and tired
of looking for the great white hope
with deep pockets to come and save the day.
Enough of that.
Lucious, do you remember when PGW turned off the heat
in the dead of winter?
(LAUGHS) How could I forget, man?
It was so cold.
Remember all those inventive ways
we came up with to stay warm?
My point is, who helped us?
Mike-Mike. He came in big-time.
He-he gave us, um, a couple kerosene heaters and a...
I see where you're going with this.
What?
We go back to our roots.
Damn right. See, on the block,
if you couldn't cover your rent,
- you threw a party. - (CHUCKLES)
People chipped in, you were good for another month.
Well, you know what, I'm so glad
that we can afford a trip down memory lane.
But we're talking about a lot more money
than a couple of hundred bucks
for the electric bill. We're talking about
60 to 70 mil.
So... we throw a live concert on XStream.
LUCIOUS: We could set up a separate account
for the crowd fundraising. If we don't make enough
to buy back the company, we give them their money back.
But if we make enough, we pay them back when we can.
Bingo.
Ain't no party like a rent party.
(LAUGHS)
These were my lucky shoes.
Well, your luck's about to run out.
The Lyons are all kinds of crazy.
What makes you think Andre is any different?
Can't you see he's playing us?
Or am I playing him?
No. You can't trust him or Anika for that matter.
She's got duplicitous bitch written all over her fake boobs.
I think they're real.
That was a test.
Why are you even looking?
- (EDDIE LAUGHS) - No, why are you laughing?
I can't have you distracted right now. Think!
(SIGHS) What matters...
is do you trust me?
What matters...
is that in all of our deals...
BOTH: We've always had
an ace up our sleeves. Yes.
Where's your ace?
That's why I called you.
(SCOFFS)
I need you to do something for me.
- You always need me... - Hey.
- To do something for you. - Hey.
COOKIE: Veronica's in our lineup
for the rent party, so that's good.
Yeah, well, we can forget about Tiana.
You know, she's out. Eddie got her head so gassed up,
she don't know which way is up.
We don't need or want her auto-tuned ass.
- LUCIOUS: Amen. - COOKIE: We got our babies,
Jamal and Hakeem.
- TBD decided to stay with Eddie. - Of course they did.
They struggling to stay relevant, old hags.
(LUCIOUS LAUGHS)
(BARKS)
COOKIE: We gave them Marmadukes
- a-a second life. - (LAUGHS) Marmaduke.
They need to be kissing our feet.
You guys, you have to see this.
It's Blake's father.
Got this hip-hoppety guy, Licorice Lyon,
got our young people talking,
- dressing like thugs. - HOST: It's hit pretty close
- to home for you, hasn't it? - Done filled my son Blake's head
with so much stuff, he don't know he's white anymore.
- All right, all right. - How the hell did he get in here?
We get to hear my side of the story now?
Jason, can you get this guy a-a microphone?
What do you want to say to your father, hmm?
BLAKE: You know, that picture you saw,
yeah, that's me, in front of his broken down house.
My hand is raised because he told me to raise it.
He said it would make me look
like I was really his son, you remember that?
- JACKSON: Yes, I do. - BLAKE: Yeah.
You know what, Dad?
I would've done anything
for you to treat me like I was really your son. (SIGHS)
Until the next day. Yeah.
When you took me to that crazy rally with those crazy racists.
- (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMING) - I went back
to my mom's house that night, and I ain't seen
or heard from this dude...
- in the 15 years since then! - Boy!
(BOTH SHOUTING)
You don't know who...
Keem, make sure he's at the rent party.
You believe him?
I do.
- Um... - Does it matter?
I mean, that video's about to go viral right now.
I mean, we over here struggling to stay alive.
You know how many viewers that's gonna bring in?
- Think about it. - (SIGHS)
You know what, speaking of viral,
there's one more act that we need up on that stage.
Hey. I want to see you.
Excuse me.
Drink this.
I need your band.
My tour band? All right.
No, your real band.
That little Fortress of Solitude band you hide behind.
Someone tell you? How'd you find out?
Maybe it's the vibrato you put at the end of your long notes
or was it that extra deep breath
you take before your chorus?
Which one do you think?
All right, you got me.
As far as bringing my band, the answer is no.
Really?
Everybody in this world right now wants
to know who is this mystery band.
Now, if we reveal you at the rent party,
can you imagine how many viewers are gonna tune in?
Yeah, I can.
It's a shame you didn't realize that before you called it junk.
No, it's not about what I think.
It's about you helping the family when we need you.
I am helping the family.
So either accept me performing solo
or don't accept me performing solo
and I'll still do it, because I help the family.
Dad, don't you miss it?
Huh? Not making music
for-for ticket sales or units sold or anything like that.
Just making music.
Ain't no way you don't miss that.
I miss it about as much
as I miss watching you hungry at night.
Because I was too busy playing music to get money
to feed you.
Think about where your loyalties are.
(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
HAKEEM: This is our rent party, so let's keep the cash flowing!
Before I kick this off, man, I want to salute
my boy here, Blake. Now, this brother stood tall even though
everybody around him, myself included,
thought the worst of him.
My apologies, bro.
- Always. - (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Now, love is love, right?
(CHEERING)
So I'm about to ask y'all a question.
Who trying to show us some love tonight?
(CHEERING)
(LAUGHS)
Let's keep Empire with the Lyon family!
Let's go!
♪ Microphone checka ♪
♪ Crowd rock selector, feeling like the GOAT ♪
♪ The rap god, et cetera, surrounded by greatness ♪
♪ Gold plaques, I'm next up ♪
♪ This'll be the record to break all the records ♪
♪ Number one on Billboard, payin' all my bills off ♪
♪ Living in the moment, type of life some people kill for ♪
♪ Done with the hate, put my Instagram on ignore ♪
- ♪ Yo, Keem, where you at, son? ♪ - ♪ Yeah, I'm just trying
♪ To get it all, get it all, argh ♪
♪ Shout-out to the homies living sky-high ♪
♪ I'm back with the prince, no Cyhi ♪
♪ Every shorty want to be the wifey ♪
You about to rob the place?
- ♪ I just hit her with the Wi-Fi ♪ - (CHUCKLES)
I just came to see what kind of low-rent thing
y'all slapped together.
You know, this is really embarrassing the label, Becky.
♪ Lemons into lemonade... ♪
All right, girl. Whatever.
♪ Tell me how you love that ♪
♪ Oh, yeah, we up above that Yo, yo, yo, hold up. ♪
♪ Tell me how you love that... ♪
Hey, cut the music.
- (MUSIC STOPS) - (CHEERING)
Hold up, we got somebody special
in the building tonight.
I want to dedicate
my performance to somebody that's always been trill.
She's here rockin' with me tonight,
reppin' hard for my family tonight.
- (LAUGHS): Aw. - I need y'all to make some noise
- for my baby. - (CHEERING, SHOUTING)
I want y'all to make some noise...
Haven.
Excuse me, girl. Love your new song.
Bloop...!
(INTRO TO "BIG SHOES" PLAYING)
♪ Mm, mm, mm ♪
Don't want to pick up your face?
HAVEN: You know you got some really big shoes
- to fill, right? - Uh-huh.
♪ Big shoes, big shoes ♪
♪ My new one got some really big shoes to fill ♪
- ♪ Made moves, made moves - ♪ Don't move ♪
♪ I moved on, but I think about you for real ♪
♪ Think about you ♪
♪ For real, think about you ♪
♪ I still think about you ♪
♪ Ah, thinking 'bout you got me sick under your voodoo ♪
♪ Sick of my old chick, I want that new, new, who knew ♪
♪ That you would be the one riding shotgun with me ♪
- ♪ Blowing clouds through the moonroof ♪ - ♪ Still thinking 'bout ya
♪ Touching on my body, still thinking 'bout ya ♪
♪ I know ♪
- ♪ I don't wanna fight it - ♪ Okay
♪ You're the one that got me thinking ♪
♪ 'Bout calling, I'm a sexaholic ♪
♪ Sexaholic for you ♪
♪ Big shoes, big shoes ♪
♪ My new one got some really big shoes to fill... ♪
Hello, gentlemen.
Looking for me?
♪ Big shoes, big shoes, my new one got... ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
We know that you've been going back and forth to your family.
We hoped that you would.
Um, I...
I-I don't understand.
We wanted you to find our number,
scare your folks into... not even trying.
But God knows, Lucious and Cookie...
they don't scare easy.
Andre...
I've known you since you were a little kid.
And I know how much you love your family.
And it pains me to see how they treated you.
Lucious, h-he doesn't even respect your artistry.
Your parents will never reach the number,
because they're chasing the wrong one.
I'm going $700 million.
And I'm telling you this because this fooling around has to stop.
EDDIE: Listen to me on this.
There are families that you're born into...
then there are families that you choose.
You belong with us.
Shut down this... XStream server
and kill this ridiculous rent party.
KELLY: You do that,
and tomorrow morning we'll be on a private jet to Palo Alto...
where I'll introduce you to my board
as the new chief financial officer of my company.
The company that will own Empire.
This is the opportunity of your dreams.
You deserve it.
Don't pass it up.
Do not let this slip from your fingers.
(EXHALES)
(PHONE VIBRATING)
(TURNS OFF FAUCET)
(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
Hey, Lou. How's it going?
Andre Lyon, down in the dungeons.
- How are you, sir? - I'm fantastic.
Listen, you ever take a break, Lou?
Like I said, the dungeons.
Why don't you take five.
(LAUGHS)
Make it ten.
Make it ten, Lou.
Okay.
- Thanks. - Mm-hmm.
(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
(CHEERING, WHOOPING)
Great performance, you guys! Yes!
Look. Chrissy and-and-and John.
- Oh, wow, that's beautiful. - Yes.
- COOKIE: What's going on? - Wait, our monitor's frozen.
Check your phone.
LUCIOUS: It's frozen.
They've locked us out of XStream.
You think we were hacked?
- This has got Eddie written all over it. - ANDRE: It was me.
- What? - I-I shut down XStream.
- Why would you do that?! - Patel is going as high
as $700 million, Pop. They played me.
I had to shut down XStream. I-I had to play along.
Well, I'm glad you played along. You just cost us
- the whole company. - COOKIE: No, wait.
- Lucious! - I just gave us our only hope, Pop.
- How? - I put everything on a timer.
The servers go live again in 15 minutes with no paywall.
Paywall? What does that mean?
It goes straight out to the Internet.
So now you two can show anybody anywhere in the world
exactly what it is that we're fighting for.
That's my big brain baby.
I'll be right back.
- That's brilliant. - COOKIE: Hey, everybody.
Hi. Having a good time?
(AUDIENCE CHEERING)
Are you having fun yet?
You know what I need you to do?
Get your phones out right now.
Oh, that's not a joke, baby. Get your phone out.
- I'm very serious. - All right.
I need you to go on your social media,
tell all of your followers that in 15 minutes,
when Empire XStream goes back up,
we have something that is going to shock the world.
- (CHEERING) - Go ahead, get them cameras.
♪ Last time that I checked ♪
♪ It was five chains on my neck ♪
♪ It was no smut on my rep ♪
♪ Last time that I checked ♪
COOKIE: Okay, what do we got
that's gonna shock the world?
♪ No sweat, last time that I checked ♪
♪ I'm the street's voice out west ♪
♪ Legendary self-made progress, last time that I checked ♪
♪ First get the money, then respect ♪
♪ Then the power, and the... come next ♪
♪ Last time that I checked ♪
♪ I been self-made from the dribble ♪
♪ I was been sayin' I'm a killer ♪
♪ Uh ♪
♪ Playin' no games with you ♪
AZAL: Got room for this?
Of course, of course.
Merci beaucoup. Thank you.
♪ I taught you how to charge more... ♪
(RINGTONE PLAYING)
TORY: What's up? We're on our way to rehearsal, Jamal.
I thought you were dealing with some sort of Lyon family drama.
Hey, y'all, um,
- I need a favor, all right? - 100%.
Look, everybody's wondering about who we are,
so... can y'all just hop on stage with me?
- TORY: Wow. - (WHISTLES)
- What? - Look, I would never
even ask, but my-my family's whole future
- is depending on it. - What, so you want me to risk
my future for your family's bottom line?
No, Tory.
It's not about money, it's about the Lyons keeping what's ours.
But if we hold on to each other and we hold on
to who we are, we'll be fine.
This guy sounded real different a few days ago.
I hope y'all know by now
that I would do the exact same thing for y'all.
Look, man, it ain't that serious, y'all.
Let's just do it. Like, I'm down.
Yeah. I'm cool.
Let's do it.
A'ight. Fine, let's do it.
But you owe us, man.
I definitely owe you, man.
Tory?
You know what, Jamal?
The difference between me and you
is that I wouldn't have asked you to.
When are you gonna stop risking everything
just to get your daddy's approval?
You guys can go ahead, but I'm out.
♪ Last time that I checked.
(AUDIENCE CHEERING)
All right, now, listen up.
Listen up. All right.
I need y'all to hit y'all socials
real hard right now.
Because in the next few minutes,
we've got the number one song in the country
by the number one group in the country.
And what's the name of that group?
ALL: Anonymous!
(CHEERING)
(MOUTHING)
COOKIE: Whoo! Look at those numbers go, baby!
(WHOOPING)
LUCIOUS: Now, y'all need to know something.
Empire has been around for almost 20 years.
You want to know why?
AUDIENCE: Why?
Because of the love and support of family.
(CHEERING)
Because of the love and support of friends.
And because of the people like you
who we make this music for.
(BEEPING RAPIDLY)
That's right, and people like us,
people like us that come from the struggle,
and come out on the other side with our heads held high.
And if you want to know why we went public with Empire,
it was because a dream we started almost 20 years ago.
We thought that if we could do it,
then maybe y'all would think, my brothers and my sisters,
- that you can do it, - (CHEERING)
and maybe you, and maybe you could do it, too!
But right now, the Empire is under attack
by an Uncle Tom by the name of Eddie Barker,
- (BOOING) - who don't give a damn about you!
All he wants is your money!
You see, once upon a time,
Lucious and I didn't have mothers,
we didn't have fathers.
All we had was each other... and dreams, baby.
(AUDIENCE CHEERS)
And I'm gonna tell y'all something.
Y'all made our dream come true.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
COOKIE: So if you want to help us keep this Empire...
AUDIENCE: Yeah!
You want the Empire to stay
with the Lyon family?
AUDIENCE: Yeah!
- With a black family? - (CHEERING)
- With your family? - AUDIENCE: Yeah!
Then I need for you guys to check out our social media,
click on the link, so you can show us some love.
But please, only give what you can.
We're not greedy.
Now, who is ready to see
the faces behind the most incredible band in the country?
For the first time ever in public,
we have Anonymous here... give it up!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(CHEERING LOUDLY)
Party people, I am Jamal Lyon.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
We got my boy Preacher on the verbs.
We got the dopest guitar player on the planet, Lonnie.
We got Alex on horns, and Ron on the ones and twos.
And y'all all know my band.
They've been with me since the beginning.
This is amazing, y'all.
Thank you so much. We are Anonymous.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
♪
♪ Hey, baby, what you tryin' do? ♪
♪ Spent the night just tryin' to find you ♪
♪ You the hottest one under the sun ♪
♪ And I'm under your spell, we stuck just like glue ♪
♪ You ain't got the free crib, oh, well ♪
♪ You and me could head to the hotel ♪
♪ Whatever we do, just don't tell ♪
♪ I don't need anybody all on my coattails ♪
♪ I feel your energy, and I ain't tryin' to fight it ♪
♪ Yo vibe is way too exciting
♪ I know I'm who you want to ride with ♪
♪ Don't fake it, I know that you like it ♪
♪ It's more than just emotions
♪ I'll give you more emotions
♪ All you got to do is focus
♪ Not what you're used to, but you'll like it ♪
♪ But you'll like it
♪ Ooh, yeah
♪ I been out here looking for you ♪
♪ You're something special, ain't you... ♪
Lucious, Cookie, I got your back.
What's up, y'all, it's your girl Eve here.
Lucious, Cookie, you know I love y'all.
Wish I could be there. Empire forever.
Yes.
(BEEPING RAPIDLY)
♪ Ooh
XStream's back online.
No paywall.
Are you serious?
It's not a problem.
Not a problem?
Fix this, or we're done.
Ladies and gentlemen,
please give it up
for my sister from another mister,
Ms. Tory Ash!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
♪ Sing
♪ Get up on my roller coaster
♪ Get inside my aeroplane
♪ I can take you places, baby
♪ Places you ain't been, I'll bet you'll like them ♪
♪ I do ♪
♪ I'll bet you'll like them
- ♪ Ooh - ♪ Come on, girl
♪
♪ It's more than emotions
♪ One more time
♪ It's more than emotions.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
- Anonymous. Not anonymous no more. - Thank you, son.
Thank you, son.
COOKIE: Oh, my God, did we make it?
$75 million... that's more than what we needed.
- We did it. Oh, baby. - We did it!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
COOKIE: We did it!
- We did it! - (WHOOPS)
(BEEPING RAPIDLY)
- We did it. - He ain't taking nothing.
(LAUGHING)
- LUCIOUS: Thank you, son. - Yes, my big brain baby. (WHOOPS)
- We ain't going nowhere. - (WHOOPS)
(LAUGHING)
(SCOFFS)
You let yourself get played, dude.
Watch your mouth.
I don't get played.
I've been dealing with people like Lucious and Cookie
my entire life.
(PHONE VIBRATING)
(CHUCKLES)
I got it from here.
Like it should have been got from the get.
♪ Been gettin' money
♪ All I see is honeys
♪ Been gettin' honeys
♪ Runnin' through the money...
(PHONE CHIMES)
Oh, somebody blowing you up now?
Look, Hakeem, I got to get back to L.A.
What, you bouncing?
It's my boyfriend.
Your boyfriend?
Thought y'all broke up.
Hot and cold.
You know how it goes.
But we had fun, right?
Kicking it, getting all the 'Gram love.
Look, if that don't make exes jealous, damn.
If you ever get for real about getting over Tiana, hit me up.
Okay?
And I wish I could be there to see Eddie's face
when he finds out what we did to him.
Nobody takes what's ours from us.
We did that.
Amen, 'cause that's what we do.
We get it done, you and me.
Together, unbeatable.
I tell ya, I couldn't have done none of it without you, Cookie.
- None of it. - Listen at you,
sounding real drunk and sappy right now.
(LAUGHS) I needs me a drink.
Now you sound like my woman.
- Your woman? - ♪ And the darkest hour
- Yeah. - ♪ Is just before dawn
My woman.
♪ Each night before...
You know something? Once upon a time,
you made a mighty big investment in me.
And you paid big-time for it.
I want you to know I would trade this company
and everything I've ever had
to make sure I never lose you again.
♪ Ooh, baby
♪ And let's tell
♪ All the stars above...
Well, I need you to know that you raised my three boys
into three kings, and you built all of this.
♪ To the one I love...
And I have absolutely no regrets, Lucious Lyon.
(LUCIOUS CHUCKLES)
♪ While I'm away
COOKIE: Mm, I've missed you so much.
♪ Ooh, baby.
(BOTH CHUCKLING)
Excuse me, sir, ma'am.
Mr. Barker and Miss Giselle are here to see you.
- Mm. - Hmm. Like clockwork.
This should be interesting. Send them in, Juanita.
- Okay. - LUCIOUS: Mmm.
It's good, right?
LUCIOUS: Yeah, it is.
Well, well, well. Good morning.
- Good morning. - Morning.
So, are you here to concede or beg for forgiveness?
I would consider this a courtesy call, Cookie.
Courtesy? What do you know about courtesy? Hmm?
You show up to my house at this hour
like you just slid off a pole.
- (LUCIOUS LAUGHS) - I can still smell the aromas
- of baby oil. - (LUCIOUS COUGHING)
You choking on the glitter, baby?
Stop.
EDDIE: I'm gonna give you one last chance
to save yourself, Lucious.
- Oh, you gonna give me a chance? - Mm.
Maybe I shook you a little harder than I thought.
I don't think you shook him hard enough.
Is violence the only answer around here?
Is that, is that all I can hear?
- Sometimes. - EDDIE: Sometimes.
Oh, was it the answer for Shine?
Hmm.
Shine? Shine, you know,
he was a victim of his own mouth.
He had a tendency of popping off to a whole lot
of different people at the wrong time,
and got popped.
Yeah, loose lips sink ships. You know that.
You stood up there and gave the eulogy.
And I got to, I got to give it to you, I almost fell for it.
But you had that look.
- That same old look. - Oh, come on,
Eddie, what you getting at?
Spit it out, man.
After the car bomb,
with all your "new me" mumbo jumbo, "Kumbaya,"
you didn't change at all.
You're still the same Lucious Lyon.
You're the same dude that I've known for the last 20 years.
You're the same thug
whose talent is for violence.
Then maybe you should go
before I put that talent to use, Eddie.
I know you, Lucious Lyon.
I know how you think,
and I know how you dress.
This is your scarf.
You were wearing it the night that you killed Shine.
Your goons are disloyal, Lucious.
I open my checkbook, they open their mouth.
Oh, I'm sure that's not all you opened.
- You know what, Cookie? - I would like to hear it.
- Please. - It's okay.
It's okay.
Either you withdraw your bid for Empire,
or I hand this over to the police,
and you spend the rest of your life in prison.
Your choice.
Make the right one.
Subtitle sync and corrections by awaqeded for www.addic7ed.com.