All the talk today around numerous music websites has been FOX’s new series EMPIRE, starring Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, which debuted last night. I tuned in, much like a lot of folks out there (it actually beat American Idol in ratings), just to see what the fuss was about.
Truth be told, I wasn’t too impressed based off the commercials. Knowing it was on a big network didn’t have much appeal to me compared to if it was on HBO. Off the rip, you know it’s going to be watered down and made for a PG-13 audience. If you’re really trying to dive into the “music business” like the show is, you’re gonna have to push the boundaries a little more than that.
Anyway, the show’s only saving grace for me was the fact that Timbaland was handling song writing and song producing duties on there. I truly didn’t even know what that meant going into it. I thought he was going to pick out the music that would be featured on there, but luckily I was wrong on all levels and he did a lot more.
The premiere episode had to do with Howard’s character managing a record label going public on the New York Stock Exchange and him getting diagnosed with a fatal disease (I won’t spoil it), as his ex-wife gets out of jail. Henson (or “Cookie,” as they call her on the show) causes ruckus upon her return, reuniting with her sons after 17 years and demanding control of the company her ex-husband built off the ground with her money after getting locked up.
So how does Timbo The King come in the picture? Not only does he pick out the tracks playing in the background in different scenes, he scored the music that plays throughout the show, as well as helped write the songs the artists performed. So, that song the black Sam Smith was performing at the empty bar; he had his paws all over it and contained that signature sound too. It actually played out like a Justin Timberlake leftover. Shit was hot.
I’m assuming this means Timbo was also involved with track the Kid Ink clone was recording in the studio in front of his Pops too.
Either way, it would be a good idea if Timbaland and/or FOX released some of these EMPIRE singles on their own and let them catch on fire online, only pushing the show further with buzz. Even if they did it halfway through the season or after the fact (best bet might be to do it the next day). I don’t know about you, but “Good Enough” sounds like a hit. They might as well throw it on Soundcloud and let it do what it do. Who knows, maybe it hits the Billboard Trending 140 chart.
I wouldn’t mind hearing the 30-second beats they play in non-dialogue scenes either.
EMPIRE might have questionable acting at times and only Lord knows if the plot of the show will survive since it seems to be more drama than substance, but I will be tuning in again for the Timbaland music that comes out on there. It’s probably the biggest bright spot for a music fan like myself. R&B Timbo is our favorite and it seems like we’ll be getting bits and pieces of it as long as this show is on the air.
But seriously, you can’t say Jamal’s “album” isn’t going to be hot.
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