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01x11 - Die But Once

Posted: 03/19/15 19:39
by bunniefuu
Previously on Empire...

I'm gonna produce an album spanning your entire musical career.

We'll call it Lucious Lyon Legacy.

You put a baby in her.

It was me! I'm the father of the baby.

No amount of money is gonna make me go away from Hakeem.

Did she take your money?

What do you think?

(Shouting, moaning)

I don't pray.

Why won't you just give it a try?

Shahani: You know all those tests that we've been doing?

You got ALS.

You hear me out! 'Cause your life could depend on it.

Are you threatening me?

Them four dealers you k*lled back in the day, you is a m*rder*r, too.

Take me somewhere with you, Malcolm.

I want to be alone with you.

I'm asking you to be my one.

You get this done, and Empire is yours.

You're a star, and one day Empire is gonna be all yours.

I'm going after his empire. I'm gonna take it.

What the hell are you here for? To give me my music back?

Cancel your IPO.

Or what?

I will bury your Empire and everyone in it.

(Playing piano)

(Echoing, distant): Hey, boss, can we go over Hakeem's pre-release party with Snoop tonight?

Not right now, I'm writing. Please.

Okay, but when? Because I really...

Look, I said I am writing right now, Becky!

You use your inside voice when you talk to Becky.

(Clattering) Man: Oh. I'm sorry.

Look, I can't write with all that damn noise out there!

b*at it. Get out of here.

Look, I can't write with all that damn noise out there!

Young Jamal: Ooh, ma! Ooh!

(Siren wailing) (Lucious playing keyboard)

Ooh, ma! Andre cussing again! Ooh!

Look, y'all need to be quiet. Don't you see your father w...

Hey, don't you see your father working? Get...!

Damn, baby. What d... What does it need?

You know, why don't you move what you just played to the first four bars of the verse and then come up a new hook.

What's wrong with the hook?

I need you to take these down for me later.

Carol, turn that down. Turn that down!

♪ I've seen the mainstream, been complainin' a bit ♪

(Cookie and Carol arguing)

* The reason these lames ain't game-equipped *

♪ Flossin' and flashin' ♪
♪ Your assets and cash flow ♪
♪ You're bringin' mo' heat to these streets than the asphalt...♪

Damn.

(Phone beeps)

Becky...

Becky!

Yeah, you ready?

No, I need you to get in touch with Cookie. She helps me when I'm stuck.

She's out of town for the weekend.

Where is she?

She didn't say, but can we please go through this list?

Nobody knows...

Okay, okay, look.

I'm gonna introduce Snoop.

I say how excited we are that he's debuting his new album with us.

Then Snoop talks about Hakeem's record dropping the day the IPO closes, and then him and Hakeem do a freestyle, right? Call Hakeem.

♪ I want to reign over my empire like Caesar ♪
♪ Dum, dum, dum, I want to walk over water ♪
♪ And die like Jesus... ♪

(Chuckles) That's it right there.

(Phone buzzes) Yo.

It's your pops.

Tell him to go to hell.

Or wherever he sent Camilla at with his damn extortion money.

They can burn there together.

Lucious: Are the boys coming to Hakeem's thing?

Uh, Jamal has his own album release events this weekend.

Well, what about Andre?

Uh, he'll be back at work on Monday.

No, is he coming tonight? Him and Rhonda.

I really... I really don't think so.

My tribute concert's in one week, Becky.

It's gonna be billed as Cookie Lyon Presents the Lucious Lyon Sound.

Wow.

This is my last show.

Come on. Don't say that.

Well, it is.

That's why I'm trying to write this amazing song.

I want to perform it in front of a packed stadium on the day that Empire goes public.

It's got to be epic.

It's got to be like a supernova.

That's how I want to go out.

Epic.

I need Cookie.

You got to find me Cookie.

Whoa. This is really beautiful.

Hmm.

Whose place is this?

This is my buddy's from Iraq.

I told him I was bringing a very special lady here this weekend.

You did, did you?

Yeah. Hmm.

(Chuckles) Mmm.

Let's go inside.

Yeah.

We can make a snowman.

Ooh, yeah.

But I'm not trying to do that, honey.

This is going to be crazy.

Every artist that Lucious has ever worked with wants to be on this damn bill.

T.I. just hit me up... he wants to do "Come Away With Me."

It's gonna be hot.

It's the biggest thing I've ever done.

My name's on it, you know?

Cookie Lyon Presents.

Do you think, uh, Cookie Lyon Presents would like to take a little break with me?

Huh?

Come here.

Oh, okay.

Yeah.

(Sighs)

Yeah, whole lot of hard work.

I know, I know. I'm sorry.

No. There's nothing to be sorry about.

Ok.

Are you nervous?

Me? Hell, no. sh**t.

(Chuckles)

It's just that I haven't been with anybody but Lucious.

Are you serious?

Yeah. (Chuckles)

That's beautiful.

I tell you what... we'll take it as fast as you want 'cause you're in charge.

♪ Oh, I've never seen anything ♪
♪ In much more than you and me ♪
♪ Extraordinary machine ♪
♪ Oh, I've never loved ♪

* I've never loved *

Ooh, you work out.

♪ Never loved someone like this ♪
♪ All I know is ♪
♪ I was sent here for you ♪
♪ We were made to love ♪
♪ We were made to love ♪
♪ You were sent for me, too ♪
♪ We were made to love ♪
♪ We were made to love... ♪
♪ ♪

We still need to give you your sh*ts and take your blood pressure.

We can do that up in your office.

No, I don't have time. I got too much to do.

You're feeling okay, though?

Yeah, beyond this stupid double vision. Becky, where's Ryan?

You're early. I thought you wanted to rest a while.

No, I can rest when I'm dead... I got to get this party over with and get back to writing my song.

I need him to sh**t my documentary... find him.

Actually, he's with Jamal tonight.

He's got a record signing.

That's weird.

Double vision isn't usually associated with ALS.

♪ I give you all of me ♪
♪ But it still ain't enough to make you happy ♪
♪ I give you everything... ♪

You're hilarious. Thank you. Take care. Bye.

How you doing?

Thank you so much. My... my brother loves your music. He's a huge fan.

Aw, that's dope. So this is for your brother. What's... what's your name, man?

I'm Zack.

No. I... I just... I wanted to tell you, um, that you coming out, that gave me the courage to come out to my brother.

Zack: It was really cool of you, man... his name's Joe.

I'm Zack.

Thank you, man. I... Really, I appreciate that.

Thank you. Good for you. Yeah.

Thank you. This is great.

Right on, man.

So, um... Joe and Zack.

Y'all, thank you. Really.

That was something special.

Crazy.

Amazing. Um, you can go to Hakeem's thing. I'm not gonna hold it against you.

I know Lucious is paying you a lot of money.

Ah... not after what he did to you.

How you doing? What's your name?

I'm really concerned about Jamal and Hakeem.

Mmm.

They're supposed to cover their dad's song, "What the DJ Spins," but they're both so mad at him.

Yeah. I don't blame them.

I don't blame Jamal. Hakeem's better off without that money-grubbing bitch.

Oh, Camilla... she didn't take Lucious's money.

What?

But did he tell you she did?

Oh, God, I wish he would just drop dead already.

Then we can make it a memorial concert, jack up the ticket prices really high. (Chuckles)

So, Snoop, after your last album, you had a bitter split with your label and said you were going indie.

What made you decide to do a joint venture with Empire for your new album, "Bush"?

Double I, man... Lucious Lyon, the man, the myth, the legend right here.

And let's just say that, uh, Lucious cut me in on a piece of the action.

(All laughing) I mean, that's the whole reason I'm taking Empire public.

It's so that my artists can share in the wealth.

This is the age of social justice.

Like my man Jay Z said, "We gonna make 'em pay for what they did to cold crush back in the day."

And wait till you hear Snoop's new one, "Peaches and Cream," honey.

Titan!

My brother.

Hakeem Lyon's album debuts the day that Empire goes public, and in a moment, you're gonna meet the man I expect to take over Empire one day.

(Quietly) Where is he?

I don't know.

Woman: Tonight you're touting your son Hakeem's upcoming release, but your son Jamal already dropped an album.

What are your thoughts about it?

Well, you said it best when you said tonight we're talking about Hakeem.

Woman 2: The Source compared him to you.

And I quote, "Jamal Lyon's memorable verses and elegant riffs might actually surpass what was known back in the day as the Lucious Lyon Sound."

Baby, you're not gonna divide and conquer with me.

(All laughing) Look, next week, I'm performing at the Mercury Arena, and I'm-a blow your mind.

The day that Empire becomes the first black-owned entertainment company to be publicly traded on the New York stock exchange, I'm going to show you the brand-new Lucious Lyon Sound, and I'm inviting you to be there personally, so you can witness as Empire becomes synonymous with American culture and Lucious Lyon becomes a god.

(Applause, cheering)

Well, if he's God, I must be Jesus.

Mr. Lyon.

What's this?

A legal notice.

Thank you very much.

Get him out of here.

It's an injunction. Beretti's trying to sabotage the concert.

Where's Malcolm?

He's in the Berkshires for the long weekend, sir.

He cleared it with you.

(Sighs)

Hakeem!

I'm glad you're here.

Ready?

I was born ready.

That's what I like.

♪ She about to go in ♪
♪ She likes that low end ♪
♪ Peaches and cream ♪
♪ Uh-oh, there she goes ♪
♪ That's that look all on her face ♪
♪ Shorty dancing like she knows ♪
♪ She's the baddest in the place ♪
♪ Hey, hey ♪
♪ I want to get with you, you ♪
♪ Freak, don't fail me now, hey ♪
♪ So what you want to do, do, do? ♪
♪ She too fly for words ♪
♪ And where I'm at now, I'm too high for birds ♪
♪ Shorty, what you think about my return? ♪
♪ 'Cause what he think about it ain't my concern ♪
♪ I ain't come for you, I came for your missus ♪
♪ I don't do it for the haters, I do it for the players ♪
♪ Well, okay, I do it for the riches but in the meantime ♪
♪ And in-between time, shorty right there gonna get it ♪
♪ If she with it, if she ain't, then I know her partner down ♪
♪ 'Cause her partner throwing sh*ts every time I turn around ♪
♪ And the partner bringing partners every time I come to town ♪
♪ I'm a G-6er, a maybacher ♪
♪ You can tell the chauffeur he can park it right there ♪
♪ And I'm-a walk up to the club upstairs ♪
♪ And when I come down, he can bring it back, word ♪
Yeah-ah-ah peaches and cream. ♪

(Applause and cheering)

(Thudding)

Man: A'ight! Check it out!

Snoop: Yeah, check it out, y'all.

Uh.

♪ Hey, yo, my name is Snoop and I'm a legend ♪
♪ And I been rollin' chronic ever since I was 11 ♪
♪ The man of the hour, you know is Lucious Lyon ♪
♪ I even brought my cousin with me ♪
♪ Start recitin', Titan ♪

(Applause and cheering)

♪ You heard my uncle Snoop ♪
♪ We the Burner team ♪
♪ You heard my uncle Snoop ♪

Both: * We the Burner team *

♪ I go bah, bah, bah ♪
♪ Tell 'em Hakeem ♪

Both: * I go bdaat, bdaat, bdaat *

♪ Tell 'em Hakeem ♪
♪ I go bdaat, bdaat, bdaat ♪
♪ Tell 'em Hakeem ♪
♪ I go bdaat, bdaat, bdaat, tell 'em Hakeem ♪

(Applause, cheering and whooping)

Tell 'em, Hakeem!

Okay.

Okay, we do a little something then.

Look.

♪ Hey, yo, they call me Keem ♪
♪ What's poppin', fellas? ♪
♪ Way I spit it I even make my daddy jealous ♪
♪ Y'all think he got the power, ooh, shame the devil ♪
♪ That poor fool can't even keep his family together ♪
♪ They say that he the king, well, I'm the prince ♪
♪ I'm-a run the Empire an' leave with your bitch ♪
♪ I'm gone. ♪

I ain't got nothin' to do with that, brother Lucious.

I ain't got nothin' to do with that.

Lucious: Hakeem!

Man: Oh, man!

You a'ight? You good?

(Hakeem panting)

Dang.

Dude.

Jamal: Ah, man, this is harsh, but I got problems with Lucious, too, but...

But what?

He's dying.

Sooner the better.

I hate his ass.

Mal, if you don't, you're a fool.

I'm over it.

Really?

Yes.

It's, like, welcome to my world.

Let's run it back. So, Lucious made me marry Olivia, and then he slept with her.

And then, let him tell it, he impregnated her, and let me believe that Lola was mine.

So, yes, we have issues with him, but about Empire...

I want the company to be around when he's not.

And your album, fool. You can't just walk away.

I'm not walking away.

I'm just going to a different label.

No, you're not. You can't do that.

Yes, I can.

I never signed any contracts.

And he think he own us.

Well, guess what? He don't.

Oh, my God, he always doing something... mm!

(Knocking on door)

Where the hell is Cookie? She's not answering any of my calls.

Cookie on her way back from the Berkshires.

(Echoing, distorted): She's supposed to be picking up her sister Carol from Penn Station, so she should be back no later than this afternoon, this evening.

Cookie's in the Berkshires?

Oh... oh, I mean... no, I just said that for instance.

You know, she... I don't know where she at.

Hell, I don't know nothing. I ain't know nothing since Y2K.

Lulu!

♪ There ain't nothin' too hard for my god ♪
♪ No, there ain't nothin' too hard for my god ♪
♪ There ain't nothin' too hard for my god ♪
♪ No, there ain't nothin' too hard for my god ♪
♪ No, there-there-there ain't nothin'... ♪

That's it, right?

That's it, sister.

That's the song.

Mm-hmm.

Give me a second.

Yeah, no problem.

Hey.

Hey... um...

I tried to go back to work this morning.

I couldn't do it.

Sometimes it's hard to go back.

Don't judge yourself.

I feel like nothing fits anymore.

You know, this suit and tie, these shoes... nothing fits.

Well, maybe God is telling you to try on something else.

Come on, let me show you my church. Come on.

Cookie: Come on, let me show you your sister's Empire.

This is corporate headquarters.

My office is here, Andre's, Lucious's.

Dang.

Girl, this sure is a step up from my living room when you and Lucious made that first record.

Yeah, and it's all mine, baby, as soon as that IPO closes.

You want to know why I put my name on that concert?

Because hell wants the devil back, and Lucious is on his way.

Yeah.

This concert makes me the new face of Empire while I build Jamal up.

All right now. Now, we going to your marketing meeting, and then we gonna hit Laviticus...

Yes.

For Jamal's listening party, right?

Yes, yes, yes, yes. Okay.

Now, now, now, now, look, check out this fancy-ass security system.

That's all Malcolm, baby. He did that.

Oh.

You'll meet him soon enough.

(Beeping) We got to get that fixed.

But look here, keep that on the down-low. All right? On the hush.

You know, ain't nobody supposed to know about that.

No, I got you. You and soldier boy goin'...

Hey, man, didn't I tell you to be quiet?

Can I have your key card, please, Mrs. Lyon?

Yeah, okay, well, just make sure you get a new one in my office.

Now, I got a meeting to go...

We've been instructed not to let you in, Mrs. Lyon.

What?

We've been instructed not...

I... I heard what you said.

So you not gonna let me in my office?

I'm not going nowhere until Lucious come down here and talk to me.

Here he is... Lucious, what you doing?

You can't lock me out.

I already did.

So nice to see you, Carol. Welcome to New York. (Scoffs)

Enjoy your visit.

Leave the premises, Cookie.

No.

You expecting your little boyfriend to come running to your rescue?

You're out of here.

Oh, is that what this is about?

No, you're out of here.

You're jealous?

You're jealous, Lucious, for real, after everything you've done?

You think you still own me? You are sick.

Now, you are not a part of my company, and my attorneys have assured me I don't owe you a damn thing... now leave.

Yeah, well, you can't do that.

I am the board of directors.

You were never on the board.

What?

Andre knew, the day that he made that deal with you, that a convicted felon can never serve on the board of a publicly traded company.

Nice boy, huh?

Are you gonna leave on your own, or do I have to escort you? Sorry, Carol.

You're on a dark path, Lucious.

You're going down.

I'm not gonna let you take my company with you.

17 years, bitch.

Get off of me.

Everybody's just waiting for you to die, Lucious.

You gonna die a lonely man, just like you deserve.

You gonna need Cookie.

Watch what I say. I built this! This is my company!

♪ ♪

Bow your head.

(Sighs)

Well, I've been...

Given 15 minutes to collect my personal possessions.

So...

What reason did Lucious give for f*ring you?

You know they got to give you a reason.

He didn't fire me.

(Wry, quiet laugh)

So he told me to kick rocks for having sex with you, but you get to stay.

Lucious.

He didn't want me to leave.

Cookie, I want you to come with me.

Come with you where?

To Washington, DC.

I got offered this high-level government job before I came to Empire.

I called to see if the position was still open, and it is.

Malcolm.

Look...

I want to take care of you. All right?

Come with me.

Malcolm, you are a beautiful man.

But I can't.

I can't leave all of this. I... I worked too hard.

I can't.

Sorry, sir, but, uh...

Yeah.

My time is up.

That's a phrase I've heard many times before.

♪ Won't let me back down ♪
♪ Can't turn me around ♪
♪ No stopping me now... ♪

Thank you.

Won't you please have a seat, son?

No, I'm good.

I just wanted to pay you the courtesy of telling you in person you should start looking for a new CFO.

Oh, come on, don't be stupid.

Stupid? Yeah, I'll try not to. Thanks for the advice, pop.

No, Andre, you worked your ass off to pull this IPO thing off.

We are almost there, man.

I'm not gonna be around forever.

You gonna look me in my eye and tell me if I do everything right, I might still get Empire.

No.

That's not what I'm telling you.

But you'll play a vital role, son.

I mean, I need you.

Empire needs you.

There was always something missing, dad...

A void that I filled with darkness.

But now I'm getting to know my god and he is filling that void with a higher purpose.

God?

God.

What do you know about God?

There's no higher purpose than being a maker of music.

That's the voice of God.

Andre...

("Keep your Money" playing)

She just called you the best songwriter. How does that make you feel?

I don't know about all that, but...

What's this I hear that you're the baddest songwriter that's ever lived on this planet?

This guy, right?

Give us a minute, y'all, please.

Thank you.

♪ I don't need it, you can keep ya money ♪
♪ I don't want it if ya gonna throw it... ♪

I wouldn't believe everything that I read.

I saw that you were a devoted husband and father.

Did you hear about that injunction that Beretti slapped me with?

I did.

What are you gonna do about it?

Lawyers says I can't move on it, and he's gonna lock down half of my songs.

In times like these, I bet you wish you ain't lock out Cookie.

I'm at a different place in my life right now.

I'm writing these new songs.

Man, I mean, incredible songs.

But I keep getting stuck, you know?

I get it.

It's that writer's block.

It's horrible.

Do you remember me talking to you about one of you taking over after me?

I remember something like that. I don't...

It might've slipped my mind.

I read a magazine article and it called you "the future of Empire."

You believe that?

'Cause I do.

I just need to know that you got that monster in you...

That does what he has to do.

Choir: * ooh, ooh-ooh *

Go on, Deacon Andre.

See?

(Laughs)

Deacon Andre.

(Quietly): Yes.

You know what?

What?

For the first time in as long as I can remember, I feel at home.

Here.

With you.

You're here with God.

♪ Ooh-ooh, ooh ♪
♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh... ♪

(Siren wailing, dog barking in distance)

Lucious: What the hell is all this about?

Jamal: You challenged me to break you from your creative block.

In order to do that, I'm gonna take you out of your comfort zone.

Daddy, please!

Stay down!

Oh, I get it.

You want me to throw your ass in the trashcan again, huh?

Is that it?

Look, I'm here because you said that you'd bring Cookie back.

(Wry laugh)

(Scoffs) Yeah, yeah.

All right, good.

Aunt Carol gave me the keys.

At least you walk like a man.

Young Jamal: No, daddy! Please, don't! Daddy!

Lucious: Thank god!

I was wondering what happened to this baby.

Dude, I made so many beautiful songs on this.

All right, let me hear what you've been writing.

Yeah, I told you it's not a song yet.

Come on... guard down. Just play it.

♪ You're so crazy ♪
♪ Lock, stock, barrel ♪

(Drifts off-key): * you're so shady... *

Um...

Damn.

If I didn't know no better, I'd say you're a complete fraud.

Maybe Beretti really did write your best stuff.

Yeah, push that.

I'm in that mood today.

I used to worship you.

And even though you hated me for being who I am, and tried to b*at it out of me, I worshipped the way that you made music.

I watched you work and I'd be like, "if I could make music like him, there's no way in hell that this man wouldn't love me."

Say die! Say it, wuss.

Say die!

* Flossin' and flashin' *

Say it! Say it! Say die!

* Your assets and cash flow *

♪ Flossin' and flashin' ♪
♪ Your assets and cash flow... ♪

Step aside.

Go ahead.

♪ Da-da, da-da ♪
♪ Da-da, da-doh... ♪

That's good.

Well, yeah, except it ain't yours.

Dad, what happened to you?

What? Is it 'cause you're afraid of dying?

What do you know about death, boy?

What do you know about them K*llers?

Dude, I done faced death from both sides since I was nine years old.

I made my bones already.

You ain't got no right to ever question that.

(Playing elaborate, Latin-flavored riff on guitar)

Maybe there is something there.

♪ La da-da-da, da-la da-da-da-da ♪
♪ Da, la-da-da-da-da ♪
♪ Da-da-da, oh... ♪

That's nice.

But it ain't dangerous enough.

Maybe it's 'cause you ain't...

Ain't been there yet.

What makes you so sure that you've been somewhere that I haven't been?

Show me.

(Playing slow-tempo intro)

♪ It's like Scarface and then some ♪
♪ Crazy intense one ♪

* Ooh... *

* better back away *

* Bang, bang, a-bang, bang *

* yeah *

♪ Daddy, hit your note, do a little hustle ♪
♪ When we rock the flow when on flip the script ♪
♪ Gotta throw a little country in and whoop the trick ♪

(Both laugh)

♪ Sometimes you only ♪
♪ Get one try ♪
♪ You got to give it all you got ♪

* 'Cause I ain't got nothin' *

* go get 'em *

* To lose *

* you hit 'em *

♪ So much to prove ♪
♪ Go... ♪
♪ I came too far to hear no ♪
♪ Got to go hard or go home ♪
♪ 'Cause I ain't got nothin' to lose ♪
♪ Baby, do what you gotta do ♪
♪ da-da-da-da-da ♪
♪ Da... ♪

* Mm-mm... *

* hey *

* Feelin' like a pack of fleas *

* yeah *

♪ Lookin' for a basset hound ♪
♪ Maybe you should talk to Steve ♪

* Yeah *

* see if he can put us down *

♪ How the hell did my back get against the wall? ♪

* Get your back up off the wall *

* hell, no, at least *

♪ I don't have to worry about the fall ♪
♪ Listen nizzle ain't the time to talk ♪
♪ 'Cause I ain't got nothin' ♪

* You better *

* to lose *

* Go get 'em *

* so much to prove *

♪ Let's go on ♪

* I came too far to hear no *

* gotta hit hard or go home *

♪ Said I ain't got nothin' to lose ♪
♪ To lose, to lose... ♪

* Hey, baby, now what did I just do? *

* hey, hey *

* I'm hoping on you to come on through *

* hey, hey *

♪ Hey, baby, got your love about you, too ♪
♪ Dormez-vous ♪

* I ain't got nothin' *

* you're so crazy *

* To lose *

* lock, stock, barrel *

* Nothin' *

* you're so shady *

* To lose *

* with a heart of gold *

♪ You're so crazy ♪
♪ Lock, stock, barrel ♪
♪ You're so shady ♪
♪ With a heart of gold! ♪

That's how you m*rder a track!

(Whoops)

Now I got a song!

It's not your song.

What? I'm gonna give you your credit, man.

You're gonna get your publishing on this.

And then I get to perform it when you're dead?

Naw, son.

Cookie Lyon Presents the Lucious Lyon Sound.

That was the agreement.

What? You think your work is done?

I need you to get my masters back from Beretti.

Then we got a deal.

No.

That's over, anyway.

If... if Vernon and the lawyers couldn't do it, what makes you think I'm gonna be...?

Do you want Empire or don't you?

'Cause if you want it, you got to be willing to take it to where they can't take it.

Otherwise...

There won't be an Empire for you to lead.

Lucious!

Lucious!

Carol: This place is a damn mansion!

Lucious!

k*ll his ass.

(Sighs happily)

Come on, Cookie, will you please get over yourself?

Where is he?

I mean, come on.

You did 17 years in the fed.

So now you trying to tell me you can't deal with Lucious for three years or less until he drop dead?

I'm sick of you.

What's wro...?

All you think about is mo...

Look, I'm so glad you're here.

Carol, wow, you look lovely.

Lucious, what the hell is wrong?

Look, let me talk, all right?

I just wanted to say I may have overreacted earlier.

You think?

And I've decided to let you produce the concert, and it'll say Cookie Lyon Presents...

What the hell is this?

I got a text from Jamal saying he's on his way to Hakeem's to make a move on Beretti.

Hakeem's meeting with Beretti?

Uh, yeah.

Beretti's trying to get your son to sign to Creedmoor.

And Hakeem is doing it to get back at you, dumb-ass.

Look, we're gonna have to talk tomorrow. Okay?

Juanita!

Have Gary bring the damn car around.

Lucious, don't let nothin' happen to my babies!

♪ David and Goliath, David and Goliath ♪
♪ David and Goliath... ♪

Beretti: Unlike Empire, we at Creedmoor believe making music should be fun.

(Chuckles)

I can get with that.

Chicken.

(Groans)

Where's my brother?

Jamal Lyon.

Billy Beretti. It is a pleasure to meet you.

I'm a huge fan of your music.

Mr. Beretti, it's a pleasure to meet you.

I hear that, uh, you and my brother might be doing business together.

That's right.

All right, all right.

Can we, um, talk outside?

Sure.

All right.

What the hell?!

(Shouting)

Chicken, back me up!

Get the contracts and the pen out of my bag.

We're talking about the masters that you stole from my father.

I want them back.

Lucious: Jamal!

Oh, hey, look... We told him to stop.

Come on, Lucious.

Shut up!

Dad, you shouldn't be here right now.

(Panting)

You go get Hakeem, a'ight?

What the hell is wrong with you?!

Come on. Give 'em a little privacy.

You will sign this contract turning over the rights to Lucious Lyon's masters in perpetuity, do you understand me?

You're not gonna drop me.

My daddy thinks I will.

No!

He thinks I'm a k*ller.

I think he's right.

(Anika laughing)

Lucious: Anika.

Dr. Shahani: MG and ALS are very different, Lucious, but they both have quite a few symptoms that mirror each other.

The eye muscle weakness that caused your parallel vision, that only happens with MG.

It's very astute of your nurse.

So I don't have ALS.

I'm sorry, Lucious.

You know, ALS is largely diagnosed by eliminating other conditions.

There's no specific blood test, there's no scan...

I need one of you negroes to man up.

This thing I have, it's not as serious.

What's it called?

Myasthenia gravis.

It's, uh, chronic but highly treatable condition.

And you didn't test me for it?

After everything I said...

Get the hell out of my house.

Hey, yeah
Ooh, ooh-ooh...
Hey, hey

(Laughing)

Hey...!

Lucious: Trust me, son.

There is nothing wrong about getting right with God. I mean, right here, right now, I am praising him.

Yeah, for what?

Getting you through the IPO process?

Well, believe me, Jesus didn't have nothing to do with that.

No, I did what I did for your best interests.

Now, look, son, we've been invited to ring the opening bell at the New York stock exchange next week... I mean, it's the announcement that Empire is officially starting to trade.

I'm hoping that you and Jamal will stand on either side...

What about Hakeem?

I was thinking that you should be the one to ring that bell, son.

Yeah, no thanks. We got a bell here.

Look, everything's changed with me.

I'm gonna tell you more about it later, but right now, I need you...

To get back into the real world.

You can't spend your life hiding in this place.

As a matter of fact, that is exactly what I am planning to do.

I'll still be here when you're dead, dad.

I'll send a prayer down to you in a flameproof jar.

♪ Hey, yeah ♪
♪ Oh! ♪
♪ There ain't nothin' too hard ♪
For my god
♪ No ♪
♪ There ain't nothing too hard ♪
For my god...

So, is this the little angel that's got you down here filling your head with all these ideas about a higher purpose?

♪ Nothing is impossible ♪
♪ He can solve your problems ♪

* There ain't nothing too hard... *

Let's see who's more powerful, your God or your daddy.

* Hey...! *

What you doing, dad?

♪ Oh! ♪

God just spoke to me for the first time in my life, directly to me, when I heard you singing.

I'm Lucious Lyon. I'm, um, Andre's father.

Of course, I know who you are.

Wow.

Well, I want to reach for a higher purpose myself now.

And I want to make a gospel song... No, I'm gonna make a gospel record, and I want you to sing that album with me.

Are you serious?

Oh, my god, thank you.

God bless you.

So we'll be doing these injections regularly to help manage the neuromuscular symptoms.

So you mean I won't have any more tremors?

In a couple weeks, you could be tremor-free.

Dr. S. also prescribed that sedative.

Cortical steroids can cause extreme insomnia, but I'd wait until you're ready to go to bed to take those.

They're pretty strong.

Oh, I hate insomnia.

Give me the water.

Michelle: When god sends you a blessing like this, you open up your arms and you embrace it.

My father is the devil, and you just spread your legs for him.

Cookie: I sent your man nurse home.

Hey.

Hmm?

Mm...

(Moans quietly)

Asleep already, huh?

He said you took some pills.

(Muttering groggily)

If you weren't already dying, Lucious, I swear I'd k*ll your ass.

What were you thinking, making Jamal do your dirty work?

Do you know he almost dropped that man off the balcony?

What is this, Lucious?

Your family members go to jail, but you get to stay out free so you can do your little music?

Get off my bed! Get away from me.

I'm not on your bed.

I ain't going with you.

I'm not going with you.

Who are you talking to, Lucious?

(Chuckles)

You messed up, Lucious.

I'm here to take you out.

No, Bunkie, go on, man.

Bunkie?!

What the hell kind of dr*gs are you taking?

You can't be here, man.

I k*lled your ass.

Just like Shyne's boys.

You kept threatening me with the wisemen.

What did you say, Lucious?

Everybody that crosses me dies.

Everybody.

And y'all can't k*ll me.

You think Hakeem can hurt me?

You think Cookie can hurt me, Bunkie?

Your god can't even hurt this boy.

He tried to k*ll me.

(Chuckles) Bunk, man, guess what?

I ain't got ALS. I ain't dying.

I'm not dying.

This ain't my good-bye concert.

Ain't no farewell.

Man, this is my comeback concert.

'Cause I'm about to come back like the phoenix from the ashes.

I'm-a rise up from the dead, like Jesus.

I'm your messiah.

♪ Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! ♪

(Muttering)

* hey-hey-hey, hey-hey-hey *

♪ Hey, hey, hey-hey ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ Oh! ♪
♪ Well ♪
♪ There ain't nothin' too hard ♪
For my god
♪ You know, there ain't nothin' too hard ♪
For my god
♪ There ain't nothin' too hard ♪
For my god...

(Chuckles) Your father's office, huh?

♪ He can solve your problems ♪

Your throne, darling.

♪ There ain't nothin' too hard ♪
For my god
♪ No one ever said it would be easy ♪
♪ No, there gonna be some good times and bad ♪
♪ Hey, but keep waiting on that joy in the morning ♪
♪ 'Cause ain't nobody got no time for that... ♪

Bunkie was my cousin, you son of a bitch.

♪ Ain't nobody got no time ♪
♪ There ain't nothin' too hard ♪
For my god
♪ Yeah, there ain't nothin' too hard ♪
For my god
♪ No, there ain't nothin' too hard, whoa ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ Hey! ♪
♪ No, no, no ♪
♪ Ooh! ♪
♪ Hey, hey, hey, oh! ♪

It's over.