On a recent afternoon at a Burbank rehearsal studio, Jussie Smollett and Bryshere Y. Gray, two of the breakout stars of Fox's soapy hip-hop musical Empire, joke their way through a photo shoot while a band in the room next door works through an arrangement of one of the show's standout tunes, "You're So Beautiful."
"My Beyonce fan is messing up your makeup," Smollett says to the woman fussing over his face, sending the two into giggles.
Packed with drama, go-for-broke camp and original music, Empire has become one of the early hits of 2015 -- and has the social media buzz to match its high ratings, which have continued to grow.
But can the show's television success translate to the real-life world of music?
For Empire, Fox is following a model similar to that of Glee. The network partnered with Columbia Records to release the music after each episode. The label also signed Smollett and Gray, to solo deals.
At the Burbank space, the two were preparing for television performances and a radio promo tour in support of a compilation soundtrack that features the show's best numbers. The recently released soundtrack also boasts appearances from a range of pop heavyweights, including Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson, Courtney Love, Estelle and Juicy J.
Smollett, a former child star (The Mighty Ducks, ABC's On Our Own), released an EP in 2012, and Gray has been rapping since he was a teenager in West Philadelphia, under the stage name Yazz the Greatest. Their roles on Empire as musically inclined brothers have yielded a number of radio-worthy tunes overseen by producer Timbaland -- whose litany of hits includes Missy Elliott, Aaliyah, Beyonce, Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z -- and partner Jim Beanz.
"I was recording my album in a home studio off of Fairfax," Smollett, 31, says, "and then four weeks later I'm at the Hit Factory with Timbaland and Jim Beanz. It's a dream."
Empire has proved itself a game changer. Conceptualized by Lee Daniels (Precious) and writing partner Danny Strong (The Butler) as a hip-hop version of The Lion in Winter, the series follows an ailing former gangster rapper turned mogul (Terrence Howard), his ex-con wife (Taraji P. Henson) and their three rival sons.
Amid the campy drama and flashy musical numbers, Empire tackles rarely explored terrain such as homophobia, mental illness and race. And viewers can't get enough. Since it premiered in January, the series is the top-rated new series in the highly coveted 18-49 demographic.
"Lee Daniels and Danny Strong have been able to so precisely mix the glitz and the glamour of an old-school musical with the drama and soapiness of Dynasty and the truth of what's happening in our society right now in this moment. And it's brilliant," says Smollett, who plays Jamal, a talented singer-songwriter overlooked by his father because he's gay.
"On top of it, the music is so legit. People see all of that."
Creating the original music for Empire is a breakneck process, according to producers.
One of the show's writers usually offers songwriters an overview of what each song should cover. Philadelphia-based Beanz writes and records demo versions of the tracks before sending them to Timbaland for approval. The music is then sent to the network and the label ("They make sure it doesn't give away too much of the storyline or plot," Beanz says). Beanz, who also appears on the series as gangster rapper Titan, then flies to the show's Chicago set to record cast members.
A number of tracks have garnered buzz. "Drip Drop" spawned memes; "You're So Beautiful" scored a powerful coming-out scene; Estelle's ballad "Conqueror" rocketed to No. 1 on iTunes' hip-hop/rap chart after it aired; and Smollett's searing anthem "Good Enough" has the potential to become a radio hit with 40 stations already playing the track. And the show's catalog of songs just passed 1 million downloads, according to Columbia.
There are talks of a tour, although producers said that's not likely until after Season 2, which is also when solo albums from Smollett and Gray are expected. And they aren't the only ones hoping to use Empire to jump-start their music careers.
Success aside, Empire has weathered controversy. Critics have skewered everything from the show's portrayal of the rap industry and its attempt to tackle serious issues to its music.
Style on 03/17/2015