"PreviouslyonEmpire..." "Empire Entertainment has filed to become a publicly traded company." "HAKEEM:" "Come on, Jamal, Ineedyourhelp." "I don't care." "How long did you think that" "I would just let you use me?" "There's no special girl in your life?" "No one special." "For someone who's bipolar, canceling a doctor's appointment is life-threatening." "No!" "Give it back!" "I am fighting for a comeback, too, Elle." "It is do or die for me, too." "I'm Malcolm DeVeaux, Empire's new head of security." "I feel safer already, Mr. DeVeaux." "How long I got?" "Three years." "Dr. Mason, how do we know that this is gonna be safe?" "It's an experimental drug." "But..." "I am dead without it." "What's up, Olivia?" "What are you doing here?" "OLIVIA:" "She wanted to meet her daddy." "♪ ♪" "LUCIOUS:" "This investor showcase is make or break for us, Vernon." "Imean,nothingcan gowrong." "Eric." "We need more technology." "I mean, serious holograms." "Okay, boss." "Also got word that, um," "Olivia, the baby mama?" "No, his ex-wife." "Whatever you want to call her-- anyway, she's been down in St. Louis since '09, working as a hairdresser, never got remarried..." "That girl is a problem, Lucious." "You did this to Jamal." "Now, what does she want?" "She wants a father for her kid is what she said." "Anyway, she's working as a hairdresser." "Living with some dude who put his hands on her, so she got an order of protection against him, the police, all that nonsense, you know?" "How could you make your son marry that girl?" "How could you force him to do that?" "He was 18; a baby." "Now, she's claiming she has his baby." "Well, how do you know it's not his baby?" "You got to have sex to make a baby, Lucious." "Come on." "VERNON:" "Either way, we still gonna have to deal with it." "One way or another." "Are you okay?" "Yeah, I'm good." "I just got off with MKTO's managers." "They would have to cut the South American tour short in order to make the showcase, so they want a promo contest to send out 100 of their Brazilian fans." "No, this is for prospective investors only." "Malcolm says it's a huge security risk." "And no fans, no press." "We still got a problem, Lucious." "Hi!" "Marvin Menchel is..." "Are you okay?" "We need to go over the budget for the showcase." "The bank has only..." "You can't keep avoiding this!" "ANDRE:" "Fantastic." "Thank you." "Okay, bye." "Dad, we are on for dinner." "What's... tell me about this guy." "Uh, Terry Schiller, late 60s, manages one of the biggest funds in the country." "Billions at his fingertips." "So, an early commitment from him would mean what?" "A huge boost in the company's valuation." "You all right?" "Yeah." "Yeah." "Okay, okay." "We need to get him to the showcase, Dad." "The way to appeal to him is through family-- he's a real family guy, right?" "The reason he's coming to dinner with us tonight is because his daughter roomed with Rhonda at Wharton." "Well, Empire is family." "I mean, that's what we're selling." "Family is the whole showcase." "Then like I said, Lucious, you got a problem." "Jamal and Hakeem-- they can't stand to be in the same room together, let alone on the same stage." "Look... (chuckles) this beef they got between each other, it ain't dying." "I'll meet you at La Banana Noire." "Okay." "8:00?" "Yeah." "And on top of that, Jamal is going damn crazy." "(muffled):" "Why would you make him marry some stupid-ass backup singer?" "Now we got to deal with her baby mama..." "Enough, Cookie!" "(siren wailing, EMT speaks indistinctly)" "ANIKA (muffled):" "Lucious, can you hear me?" "(muffled voices speaking over each other)" "Lucious, come on, we're gonna get you to the hospital as soon as possible." "Are you okay, Lucious?" "Lucious!" "MAN:" "How long has he been out?" "When did he last eat?" "Has he lost consciousness before?" "(indistinct chatter)" "Shh..." "W-Watch it, watch it." "(Anika speaking, muffled and indistinct)" "(EMTs speaking, muffled and indistinct)" "Be careful!" "All right, we're good." "What are you doing?" "I'm his wife." "Ex-wife." "She's his soon-to-be ex-wife." "I just need to know who's gonna ride with him." "Thank you." "Come on." "We'll take a cab." "EMT:" "Here we go." "Let's go, guys." "(Lucious mutters weakly)" "Michael, why are you doing all of this?" "Because this is what you want, Jamal." "Couldn't even tell it to my face." "I had to hear it on the radio:" ""Nobody special"?" "I said no special girl." "Yeah, and how do you think that made me feel, huh?" "Listening to you say that in front of the whole world!" "Well, now you do have a special girl in your life." "A daughter." "It's better to end this now before I have to... walk out on you and a kid." "The kid can't be mine." "I slept with that girl once." "Well, once is all it takes." "Oh, príncipe,  you know that I love..." "No, don't call me that!" "You don't love me." "I love you." "But you're in love with your music." "You don't have room for anyone else." "(engine starts)" "(door closes)" "I'll never forget the first time" "Sarah brought you for Thanksgiving." "I was so nervous I couldn't even eat." "I mean, your home is so beautiful." "Oh, my God." "Hold on, Dad." "Hold on one second while I fill him in, okay?" "Mr. Schiller, I'm afraid I have some bad news." "My father's jet had to make an emergency landing in Baltimore." "One of the engines caught fire." "Now, he's okay, but he just, he feels terrible." "He'd like to speak with you." "LUCIOUS (over phone):" "Hey, Terry... sorry." "I can't tell you, man." "You know, these damn planes." "Well, I'm glad you're okay." "And I'm delighted to spend the evening with your charming son and his beautiful wife." "And I'll hear them out, Lucious." "But frankly, as I told Andre in advance, the Schiller Fund has never been drawn to entertainment companies." "They're too volatile." "Terry, even if you decide not to invest, come and enjoy the concert." "I promise you you will not see another one like it for a while." "All right." "All right." "Later." "(groans):" "Oh, my..." "You okay?" "Nurse!" "Nurse!" "I'm here." "Thank you, sir." "Sir, please turn over." "It's all for you, bae." "Your own personal private chef Roblé." "Enjoy it." ""Bae"?" "What is a "bae"?" "It means "babe."" "Bro... seems like the lady's on a completely different date than you are, but, uh, if that chicken right there doesn't turn that around," "I don't know what will." "This is for you." "What is it?" "Open it." "(chuckles)" "What?" "You got to be joking." "You want to brand me with your name, but you don't want to take me out in public?" "(shuts box)" "I'm not your backstreet slut, Hakeem." "Treat me like you treat that girl." "Why you keep talking about Tiana?" "You know she wasn't nothing to me." "It was for record sales and buzz." "That's what you got to do in my position." "Just tell me..." "Just tell me what you want, and I'll do anything." "When are you performing next?" "Baby, I can't." "It's a private thing for money folks." "IPO investors gonna be there." "How about I just put you on the VIP list, as a private investor?" "So you mean, like, incognito?" "Yeah." "I mean, we keep it on the DL this time." "Next time, it's me and you." "Arm in arm, promise." "Come on." "(door opens)" "Hi, Doctor." "Thank you for coming." "What the hell is she doing here?" "Where's Dr. Mason?" "I called Dr. Shahani." "I want Dr. Mason here!" "Luther Mason..." "(scoffs)" "I can't even call him "Doctor"-- had his license revoked two years ago for doing to another patient what he's now doing to you." "He's saving my life." "Sadly, the opposite is true." "Your ALT and your AST levels are elevated, and you're in the early stages of liver damage." "These aren't symptoms of ALS." "That charlatan's drugs are doing this." "I'm getting better." "It's a breakthrough treatment they've got in Russia." "They're so far ahead." "The FDA is behind the curve." "Okay, well, this Russian so-called breakthrough is killing you faster than your disease is, Lucious." "It's poison." "Do you understand?" "There is no cure for ALS." "Get out of here!" "And anyone who tries to tell you that there is-- and takes your money while they're at it-- is a criminal." "Really, do you understand?" "Get the hell out of here!" "What's going on in there?" "Are you family?" "I used to be married to the man." "I gave him three sons." "That should be family enough." "I'm sorry I can't let you in." "(groaning)" "Let's hear from Empire Sports Management Division." "Empire Elite Sports rules." "We rep six first-round NBA picks." "Endorsement deals have brought in well over $32 million..." "Impressive." "We'll lead with that." "Sports is an investor favorite, ladies and gentlemen." "Gets the crowd revved up and energized." "LUCIOUS:" "No, we will lead with music." "Empire begins and ends with music." "Never forget that." "This presentation's about money, Dad." "Men like Schiller want to hear the numbers." "No, music is what's going to get them to invest their millions in this company." "Music is emotional." "Music is what Empire is about." "I want to hear the music lineup." "Lovely." "All right." "We have multiple acts that we will be doing for the pre-show cocktail party." "And then Hakeem and Jamal are gonna be opening on the main stage." "No, no, no, no, no." "I want to open with Elle Dallas-- she was Empire's first platinum-selling artist after me." "She'll have a sentimental appeal to this money crowd." "I would love to have Elle, Lucious, but she's an addict." "Well, Cookie says she's in good shape." "I trust Cookie on this." "Fine." "Okay." "♪ We got to move these color TVs ♪" "♪ We are the people who turn illegal to legal ♪" "♪ We take the good with the evil ♪" "♪ Create more sales than the Beatles ♪" "♪ And the lion's our logo, we the sharks in the water ♪" "♪ Multimedia moguls, more offices than the Oval ♪" "♪ We do everything, came up in the game... ♪" "♪ Necessary ♪ ♪ Finish it by any means necessary ♪" "♪ We everywhere-- millionaires, billionaires, visionary ♪" "♪ Back to bidness, let's expand, think ahead to sell the brand ♪" "♪ We got to install microwave ovens... ♪" "You stepping in my way, man!" "Give me my damn mic!" "I'm just trying to make sure that we ain't lagging like you!" "Nah, you trying to steal my spotlight." "Well, that ain't hard to do." "It's called a performance." "Why don't you learn to perform?" "I'm not doing it." "I'm not doing it." "Then don't do it, fool." "Shut up, both of y'all!" "One night of your little selfish lives!" "Now, your brother Andre is out there trying to hustle up big-time investors, trying to make your father's dream come true!" "And he worked his ass off for this moment right here, right now!" "Fought his way like a dog out of the projects for you two ingrates!" "Now, can you please come together, for this one thing your father needs, so he can bring this thing home for you!" "You hear me?" "I said do you hear me?" "LUCIOUS:" "Hakeem!" "Listen to your mother!" "Very wise woman." "Y'all take a minute." "What are you doing out of bed?" "It was just food poisoning." ""Food poisoning," huh?" "What's really going on with you, Lucious?" "I'm fine." "That's some really nice words you said there." "Lucious, save your little sad songs." "I don't have time for them." "Those boys was coming between me and my money." "I just did what I had to do." "(repeatedly tapping button)" "(sighs)" "MALCOLM:" "Yeah, we just keep a eye out for just new artists..." "Mr. Malcolm!" "The elevator seems to be stuck on 17 for, like, the last ten minutes." "Can you help me out?" "How are you?" "I'm good." "How you doing?" "I'm good." "Let's see what I can do." "There it is." "It's moving." "I lost my mommy." "So, she just up and left her child?" "Yeah, it appears that way." "We searched the entire building." "Jamal gonna be a daddy?" "Who'd-a thunk?" "Leave me with all that." "Jamal!" "I'm fine." "Leave me alone." "What?" "I just need time to think." "No, let him go." "He needs to blow off some steam." "Where's the little girl at now?" "This is your fault, Lucious." "Why is this my fault?" "!" "Where is she?" "She's safe with Becky, sir." "Have a good evening, sir." "Thank you." "You're welcome." "♪ ♪" "She ain't at her apartment." "Family hasn't seen her, either." "Did you call her dealers?" "Oh, come on, Elle, please." "Don't do this to me." "Not tonight, please." "You know, Miss Thing gonna love this." "Elle making you look like a fool to Lucious." "Did I ask for your opinion?" "You know, you getting a little too loose in the lips." "Did I hear my name?" "Oh, thank you!" "And I'm clean." "You look amazing!" "I'm so sorry to scare you, but I need to rehearse." "I've been around Empire so long, I'm on CP time." "♪ ♪" "Colored People time." "♪ Don't look at me that way ♪" "♪ Like you know how it's going to end ♪" "♪ 'Cause I'm too tired to be honest ♪" "♪ And I'm too hurt to pretend ♪" "♪ Darling, some wounds will not mend ♪" "♪ Ooh ♪" "♪ Walk out on me, walk out on me ♪" "♪ I'll see you for the last time ♪" "♪ Walk out on me, walk out on me ♪" "♪ I'm giving you a life line ♪" "♪ Just say so long ♪" "♪ And then walk away ♪" "♪ Say so long ♪" "♪ And then walk away. ♪" "This is the daddy, this is the mommy." "They do all the walking in the house." "Then they live happy ever after." "Good luck with that." "Hi." "LUCIOUS:" "What do you mean the chef bailed?" "That's my daddy." "I know." "Then call Gordon Ramsay." "I've been talking to him about taking over the kitchen at Laviticus anyway." "Yeah, get it done." "You know, Becky's been taking care of your daughter." "You might want to thank her for that." "What makes you so sure she's my daughter?" "You were married to her mother." "Our marriage was a sham." "You know that." "Quit being so dramatic." "I did it to try and protect you." "You-you had a promising career, and it's the same thing you did the other day on the radio." "It's the smart thing to do, Jamal." "I mean, you got a hot new single." "A lot at stake." "I respect you for that decision." "Michael left." "Yeah, I heard." "Sorry." "(scoffs)" "Please." "Okay... (laughs)" "I'm not sorry he's gone." "I am sorry that you're not happy." "Eventually, you're gonna meet somebody who really understands what it's like to... be with an artist." "It's hard." "Jamal, you think there's a possibility that this little girl might really be your daughter?" "Yeah." "Vernon's got people combing the street, trying to find her mother." "In the interim, Anika and I can take her home." "We got Juanita over there." "She'll get a kick out of looking after her." "You're not on your own here." "(crowd cheering)" "HAKEEM:" "♪ Empire state of mind ♪" "♪ Let's go!" "♪" "♪ Things are lookin' up ♪" "♪ I'm ready for tonight ♪" "♪ I feel good, real good ♪" "♪ Can't nobody hold me down ♪" "♪ I'm gonna take advantage of ♪" "♪ All these flashing' lights ♪" "♪ 'Cause it's the best time, the best time for it ♪" "♪ We can do it all right now ♪" "♪ Can't nobody tie me down ♪" "♪ If you want it, I got it ♪" "♪ Tomorrow's not promised ♪" "♪ Live inside the moment, oh, no ♪" "♪ Tell me what we waiting for ♪" "♪ What the hell are we waiting for?" "♪" "♪ We live inside the moment... ♪" "Marvin Menchel, Elle Dallas." "Hi." "It's, uh..." "Marvin Menchel!" "it's, uh..." "it-it's an honor." "Oh, you sexy beast!" "Mwah!" "(crowd whooping, cheering) Hi!" "Elle, you look amazing." "Anika, you look beautiful." "Wow!" "Lovely yourself." "VERNON:" "Take her upstairs, please." "How's she doing?" "She's doing fine, I guess." "Says she wants to go to an N.A. meeting with me, so..." "Good." "We'll see about that." "BECKY:" "Okay, Echo Partners invests in technology companies." "They funded the Listen Up music sharing app." "Right over here." "Young brother." "A pleasure." "Thank you so much for being here." "This woman is a reporter for TheWallStreetJournal." "How are you?" "Okay... (chuckles)" "Hey, do you need a break?" "No, no." "I'm fine." "You okay?" "Well, who else?" "Uh, well, right over there we have, uh..." "COOKIE:" "Jamal's got me drinking this green tea stuff." "Here you go." "How you feeling?" "How do you think I'm feeling?" "I'm feeling nervous, darling." "I'm feeling nervous." "I just..." "I don't want to let you down." "You won't." "You won't." "Everybody's so happy you're here, Elle." "The buzz is amazing." "You know what?" "I'm gonna go check on my sons." "Be right back." "Hi, Elle." "♪ The star of the show tonight. ♪" "(chuckles) How you doing?" "Fine, thanks." "I-I know we haven't had a chance to talk much, but I just wanted to take some time to tell you how happy I am that you're here." "Thank you." "It's a big night for you." "Yeah, if you'd have told me a month ago" "I was gonna be performing again, I wouldn't have believed you." "But Cookie pulled this all together." "She did." "Ooh, Elle, can I get a selfie with you?" "Oh, great." "All right." "(phone beeps, clicks)" "Thank you." "You're welcome." "Aw, shoot." "I'm sorry." "I have to go." "But, girl, knock 'em dead." "Thank you so much." "(chuckles) Mm-hmm." "♪ ♪" "You're not drinking?" "Nah, I ain't drinking tonight." "I'm gonna holla at you later, B." "Yup." "Who is that Liberian girl over there?" "Uh, Camilla Marks." "Brittanica Holdings under the UK." "Mainly invests in... advertising and marketing firms." "Pleasure to have you here, Ms. Marks." "Thank you." "Hope you're enjoying what you're seeing today." "I expect I will." "I'm extremely interested in Empire's exciting young talent roster." "Do tell." "Well, my people tell me your son Hakeem is very talented and is destined for superstardom." "(chuckles) I hope so." "And I can see why he's so talented." "You're gonna make me blush." "(laughs)" "I have to go." "I hope to see you again." "Have a good night." "(slurring):" "♪ Walk out on me ♪" "♪ Say so long ♪" "♪ And walk away ♪" "♪ Say... so long ♪" "♪ And walk away ♪" "♪ Walk out on me ♪" "♪ Walk out on me... ♪" "♪ See you for the last time ♪" "♪ Walk out on me ♪" "♪ On me... ♪ Elle!" "I've been looking for you everywhere." "I'm right here, man." "Are you okay?" "(slurring unintelligibly) Oh, no, no, no." "No cigarettes." "We need our voice." "We need our voice." "I'll be with you..." "Come on, we're ready, we're ready to start." "(bumps leg, grunts)" "What?" "Are you high?" "I feel weird, but I didn't take anything." "Cookie, I'm fine." "I'm just a little woozy." "I vouched for you." "I'm a little woozy." "To Lucious, damn it!" "I got to go tell him that you cannot perform like this!" "Wasted my damn time!" "I can sing..." "Cookie, I can sing your damn song!" "COOKIE:" "Shut up talking!" "We got to start the show without you!" "(screams)" "You are going to... (squawking)" "Coo-coo!" "Rude ass." "Yo, man, quit playing." "JAMAL:" "Sit your ass down." "Weirdo." "HAKEEM:" "Let me use your spray, dawg." "Get out of here." "Lucious..." "Look, I'm sorry, man," "I-I shouldn't have trusted a junkie to stay clean." "What happened?" "Elle." "She's high-- she can't go on." "I knew this was gonna happen." "Yo, man!" "Hey." "Hey." "Give me the jacket." "Give me my..." "Hey, come here, I need to talk to y'all now." "You need to get ready;" "y'all up next." "You're in the star spot." "Wait, what about Elle?" "Forget Elle." "That's the past." "These investors are here about the future of Empire, and that's my sons." "Whatever beef y'all got going on between y'all, y'all gonna stop it." "Get out there and make those billionaires open up their checkbooks." "COOKIE:" "You heard your father." "Come on." "(snapping fingers)" "Come on, shake hands." "Tonight ain't about you, Hakeem." "My boys." "(crowd cheering)" "Thank you so much for being here." "I hope you've all had a chance to learn a little bit about our company, and I hope you got a chance to talk to some of the very talented heads of our many different divisions." "But right now, before I come out here and highlight Empire's financial strengths," "I'm gonna ask you to put down your Empire magazine, you roll up your Empire jeans," "(laughter) kick back in your Empire footwear, have another glass of Empire's best champagne, and listen to a few of the Empire's beautifully badass, gifted musical artists, and let them get you where you're supposed to be." "Ladies and gentlemen, I want you to give it up to two talented and wickedly gifted young men, who just happen to be my sons, the future of the Empire..." "Hakeem and Jamal Lyon!" "(crowd cheering)" "♪ I want my ♪" "♪ MTV ♪" "♪ ♪" "♪ Consumers ♪" "♪ Silver spooners ♪" "(chuckles)" "♪ It's nothin', we get money for it ♪" "♪ 'Mal ♪" "♪ Commas and zeroes ♪" "♪ That's the way we do it ♪" "♪ We make it work in this ♪" "♪ Economy ♪ ♪ We Lyon ♪" "♪ Roll in dinero ♪" "♪ Pockets stay polluted ♪" "♪ Money is dirty and we don't play clean ♪" "♪ We chasing' paper, run, run, hurry, move it ♪" "♪ Get out the way if you ain't 'bout that green ♪" "♪ Intensive labor, taxes are included ♪" "♪ Money is dirty and we don't play clean ♪" "♪ We got to install microwave ovens ♪" "♪ Yeah, we do ♪" "♪ Custom kitchen deliveries ♪" "♪ We gotta move these ♪" "♪ Refrigerators ♪ ♪ Yeah, we do ♪" "♪ We gotta move these color TVs... ♪" "♪ We are the people who turn illegal to legal ♪" "♪ We take the good with the evil ♪" "♪ Create more sales than the Beatles ♪" "♪ And the lion's our logo ♪" "♪ We're the sharks in the water ♪" "♪ Multimedia moguls, more offices ♪" "♪ Than the Oval, we do everything ♪ ♪ Let's go ♪" "♪ Came up in the game to entertain ♪" "♪ Finish it by any means necessary ♪" "♪ Finish it by any meansnecessary♪" "♪ We everywhere, millionaires ♪" "♪ Billionaires, visionary ♪" "♪ Back to bidness, let's expand ♪" "♪ Think ahead to sell the brand, oh!" "♪" "♪ We got to install microwave ovens ♪" "♪ Yeah, we do ♪ ♪ Custom kitchen deliveries ♪" "♪ We gotta move these refrigerators ♪ ♪ Yeah, we do ♪" "♪ We gotta move these color TVs... ♪" "(coughs, clears throat)" "♪ Move dat work, move dat work ♪" "♪ Commercialize, commercialize ♪" "♪ Get that work, get that work ♪" "♪ To advertise, to advertise ♪" "♪ Make it work, make it work ♪" "♪ Look, Mom, I'm on TV ♪" "♪ Make it work, make it work ♪" "♪ Hi, Mom, I'm on TV ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh ♪" "♪ My talent's worth a fortune ♪" "♪ Five hunnit ♪" "♪ They know that I'm a boss ♪" "♪ I got the highest portion ♪" "♪ I'm all about my bidness ♪ (coughs)" "♪ All about my money ♪" "♪ I'm all about my bidness ♪" "♪ My talent's worth a fortune ♪" "♪ Five hunnit ♪" "♪ Hot damn it, I'm a boss ♪" "♪ I got the highest portion ♪ (grunting)" "♪ I'm all about my bidess ♪" "♪ Yeah, I'm all about my bidness... ♪" "(whispers):" "Cookie..." "What?" "!" "Come here!" "♪ You know what it is ♪" "♪ Jamal..." "Hakeem... ♪" "(hoarsely):" "I can't..." "I can't talk." "(crowd cheering) (raspy grunt)" "What you need, man?" "Can you breathe?" "(weakly):" "I need to go out and give this speech." "I can't let you do that, okay?" "It's not gonna happen." "ANIKA:" "Look, baby, I got it." "Okay?" "I know the speech." "I wrote it." "I know it back to front." "I don't even need the teleprompters, okay?" "I can't believe we're even having this discussion." "We're not having a conversation." "Dad, it should be me out there." "Something is wrong with him." "Are you okay, Lucious?" "Is there a problem?" "Because there's a billion dollars in capital waiting out there..." "Menchel, what's wrong with you?" "Okay, look, there's no problem, okay?" "Lucious is a showman-- he's building up anticipation." "Look, go out there, fix your tie, get ready for the show." "Sir, come this way, sir." "Just go out and do it." "(hoarsely):" "Look, I know you want to help me, son." "And you have written this thing, but I need someone that can go and excite these people." "Cookie..." "Hmm?" "I need you to go out there and remind them that Empire is a family business built for our sons." "(pants) And it is gonna pass from one generation to the next generation." "It's gonna stay in the family." "Please." "(panting)" "Okay." "(crowd murmuring)" "I'm gonna sue that Dr. Mason." "(weakly):" "It's not the drugs." "What?" "It's not the drugs, it's ALS." "It's-it's..." "Wait a minute, take your time, baby." "It's not the drugs that did this to you?" "It's like a tremor with my hands; it will... (clears throat) ...pass." "It'll... it'll pass." "Where's Lucious?" "(clears throat softly)" "Ladies and gentlemen... (sighs)" "Uh..." "Child, I ain't reading'..." "Just read the teleprompter, Mom." "My name is Cookie Lyon." "My ex-husband, Lucious, and I started this company in a little garage in one of the worst ghettos in West Philadelphia." "Yeah." "Some of y'all probably have a few ex-wives, so... (laughter) ...so you know I'm not gonna be standing up here, telling you all this mushy stuff about what a fine man my ex is." "(laughter) What the hell's she doing?" "Lucious Lyon... is a musical god." "And he's also a crazy son of a bitch that had a dream." "(laughter)" "Still has a dream-- and nobody better ever try to get in between Lucious and his dreams." "We were hustlers." "Hmm." "Only choice we had." "But... do you know what the first rule of hustling is?" "MAN:" "Supply and demand." "(laughter) Hey, who said that?" "COOKIE:" "That's right, baby." "Smart man." "That's right-- you create your own customer base." "Give them some of that good stuff." "Make 'em want more." "You see, Lucious did that with music." "He created... a sound." "They call it "the Lucious Lyon sound."" "You all know it, or else you wouldn't be here." "(laughter)" "Lucious's music took the street mainstream, and made the mainstream feel street." "Everything Lucious touches turns to platinum, and that's a fact." "He started out doing it with the music." "Next, he did it with over a dozen profitable entertainment andmerchandisedivisions." "And now... he's gonna do it with your money... if you're lucky enough and smart enough to put it in his hands." "(scattered laughter)" "(chuckles)" "Lucious and I had three sons, before he dumped me." "(laughter)" "Our oldest son Andre is the CFO of this company." "He's brilliant, and he's gonna make every last one of you filthy rich." "(murmurs of affirmation)" "Our other two sons, Jamal and Hakeem Lyon... (crowd cheers) they are living proof... that Empire is more than just one man's dream." "It's a dream come true that's ready to be passed down to the next generation, and the next and the next." "And you all... can be a part of it." "(crowd cheering)" "Thank you." "I love you, Cookie." "(exhales)" "Very impressive, Lucious." "Especially that story that your ex-wife told." "(groans):" "Oh." "What really sold me though is your family and how devoted each and every one of them is to the future of this company." "Thank you so much, Terry." "Oh, baby..." "Are you sure you don't want me to cancel my trip to Chicago?" "Lana's gonna understand." "No, don't cancel." "I mean, whatever that is, it's gone now." "I'm, like..." "I'm a hundred percent." "Look, and you need to hammer out the new details of that contract for her." "Don't forget, her lawyer's gonna be on the plane, too, okay?" "All right." "Well, you better call me if something goes down." "You call me when you get there." "Don't tell me what to do." "I love you. (laughs):" "I love you too." "Come on." "Where's she going?" "She has to go up to Chicago overnight, take care of something with Lana Del Rey." "Are you gonna tell me what's going on with you, or what?" "Yeah." "Lola, say good night to Uncle Andre and Aunt Rhonda." "Aw, good night, baby." "Pretty." "(laughs):" "Thank you." "Good night." "Don't forget about your Uncle Hakeem." "Pretty." "Well, she got taste." "(growls) Give me that, give me that." "Stop, stop." "You're gonna scare her." "Stop." "I'm gonna call you back." "Come here." "My brother's stupid." "Mom, here." "Oh." "Okay." "I don't know how to do all this." "Don't worry, sweetie, he'll get the hang of it." "MALCOLM:" "I'll get back to you with a proposal." "In the meantime, I'll be standing by." "What are you two scheming up?" "Oh, we're talking about the new security system we're having installed." "Kevlar-lined walls, infrared cameras, a bunker..." "Place is gonna be an impenetrable fortress." "You know, Mr. DeVeaux, I was thinking maybe I need to... beef up the security at my place, because, you know, I live alone." "Sir, I'll get those numbers and get back to you." "You should call me so we can set that up." "You realize..." "Shut up, Lucious." "Juanita, take the baby upstairs." "Yes, sir." "Excuse me." "Hakeem." "Have a seat." "Hold up." "Mm!" "My little gangsta." "(laughs)" "(sighs)" "I'm sick." "Wait, what-what do you mean?" "I have ALS." "Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis." "It is a... (sighs) ...an aggressive and degenerative neuromuscular disorder that will eventually take away my ability to control... my body." "What happened tonight is, uh... it means the symptoms are getting worse." "It's fatal." "There's no cure." "Then why are we even doing this?" "That monster show we put on today." "That was my legacy for you." "I mean, that's why I've been pushing y'all so hard." "I was so proud of y'all tonight." "Who knows this?" "Hmm?" "Vernon," "Becky... and, uh, Anika, of course." "Well, the IPO-- we..." "we have to have a plan." "He's dying and you're worrying about a IPO?" "Yo, I should knock you..." "Hakeem!" "Hakeem!" "What's wrong with you?" "!" "What's up?" "!" "Andre!" "Andre!" "Beat your little ass!" "Come on!" "Stop!" "Sit down!" "He should be upset." "Come on, baby, we got to go home." "(muttering) I don't know what to do." "Andre, Andre, look at me." "What?" "!" "I don't need your help!" "I'm sorry, Lucious." "It's not what I wanted, son." "Ma..." "LUCIOUS:" "Boys, come on, let's talk for a minute." "Y'all have been through a lot." "But y'all are gonna get through this, whatever happens." "Right now, I need y'all to be strong." "We will, Dad." "Just tell us what you need." "Your mama didn't take this well." "I need a moment with her, okay?" "Y'all go on home, okay?" "(shower running)" "Andre." "Baby, what are you doing?" "Baby?" "Andre, what's wrong?" "(gasping)" "Baby, stop." "Look at me." "Baby... stop..." "breathe... (gasping loudly)" "Stop... (breathing slows)" "Look at me." "You're gonna run this company." "You're gonna have everything you've ever worked for, okay?" "Look at me." "Remember this?" "(mellow acoustic guitar music playing)" "(chuckles softly)" "You said some really, really nice things about me up there tonight." "♪ Sometimes you feel insecure ♪" "Kind of made me feel good." "Especially hearing that from you." "Why are you acting so surprised?" "Because, I don't know..." "I just feel like I owe you." "Why do you have to owe me, Lucious?" "This was my dream, too, remember?" "Yeah." "But, I mean, you... saw this... way before I did." "Ain't even had my first single, you said we're about to change the music business forever... baby." "(laughs)" "And that's because I know you." "I know what you're capable of." "(soft, trembling breath)" "(crying):" "That's why you got to beat this, Lucious." "You're gonna beat this thing." "Because I can't lose you again." "♪ You're so beautiful ♪" "♪ You got me watching you, like a camera do... ♪" "You have me now." "Let's not lose this moment." "May I have this dance, my love?" "♪ You wear your glasses, you can't see ♪" "♪ Girl, I love your crooked smile ♪" "♪ Your crooked smile ♪" "♪ Hair ain't done, you're makeup-free ♪ (both laugh)" "♪ You'll never go out of style... ♪" "This was always a good song." "'Cause it was about you." "♪ Way too much class, all up inside... ♪" "You always did it for me." "♪ You should be happy with the nappy ♪" "♪ Hot damn, have you seen them thighs... ♪" "You never stopped doing it for me." "♪ ...and collard greens ♪" "♪ You call me Papi, and I like it, wow ♪" "♪ You're so beautiful ♪" "♪ You got me watching you, like a camera do ♪" "♪ I'll still wait for you ♪" "♪ You got me ♪" "♪ Feeling all kinds of ways ♪" "♪ You're so beautiful ♪" "♪ You got me watching you, like a camera do ♪" "♪ I'll still wait for you ♪" "(Cookie laughing)" "♪ You got me ♪" "♪ Feeling all kinds of ways ♪" "♪ This is the kind of song ♪" "♪ Make a woman love a man ♪" "♪ A woman love a man ♪" "♪ A woman love a man and ♪" "♪ You're so beautiful ♪" "♪ You got me watching you like a camera do... ♪" "Babe?" "♪ I'll still wait for you ♪" "♪ You got me... ♪" "(Cookie laughs)" "♪ You're so beautiful ♪" "♪ You got me watching you like a camera do ♪" "♪ I'll still wait for you ♪" "♪ You got me feeling all kind of ways... ♪" "Captioned by  Media Access Group at WGBH  access.wgbh.org"