Review Summary: "Controversy is hip-hop. That's how we get rich."
Empire has done itself well in the last two weeks that it has been on television. The second episode managed to garner even higher ratings than the pilot acquired, snatching in a high 20+ million viewers for the episode 'The Outspoken King'. The heavy hip-hop and R&B influence that hovers around the show along with the ever-so mind-boggling drama coming from the plot has done nothing but drawn more viewers to the show that has become the obvious front-runner for shows on FOX. The music, which has been from day one a critical factor for Empire, has been nothing short of excellent so far, with the first EP with the songs from the pilot having done itself massive dividends for the major hit show. The solid production and feel of the record that is captured has undoubtedly set the standard for future material that will be continued to be released weekly as new episodes come in. With the release of 'The Outspoken King' EP the minimal bar that has been set from the first mini-album has been hit once again.
'The Songs From The Pilot' EP displayed some pretty good production from multi-platinum executive producer Timbaland, with his simplistic yet appealing instrumentals making its case known. It continues to be prevalent throughout most of the short five-track album, delivering basic instrumentals laced mostly in piano that ranges atmosphere-wise from dark and gritty to emotionally vulnerable. Unlike in the debut album however, 'The Outspoken King' starts off on a bit of a rough footing. The Terrance Howard-rapped "What The DJ Spins" from his character Lucious Lyon is a bit laughable with his vocals sounding 110% Auto-Tune and just plain awful lyricism about clubbing and what the DJ will select next track-wise. Considered on the show as a quote on quote "mega-hit" from 2002, aside from the instrumental this doesn't fit the bill for that claim despite being fictional and all on the show. Fortunately for the rest of the album, "What The DJ Spins" is a slight misstep and also because of the short length hitting exactly at the 2-minute mark which makes it a bit bearable despite the numerous flaws.
Actor Jussie Smollett and Yazz on the debut album featured some of the strongest vocals and chemistry on its tracks, and on 'The Outspoken King' more of the same. It couldn't be prominent than it is on the unofficial theme song "No Apologies", an ode to Yazz's character Hakeem of his opinions on matters ranging from the new female artist he met to President Obama in which he called 'a sellout' surprisingly. It also happens to be an ode to Jussie's character Jamal to which he doesn't apologize for his sexuality towards men. The duet in which features Yazz's raw but tough vocals and Jussie's strong falsetto, add in the strong lyricism with lines like 'I'm a revolutionary/Have it in my vocabulary' along with the heavily bass-laced, piano-driven beat and you got yourself one hell of a track that has all the possibilities of becoming a hip-hop hit. Other songs like the Serayah McNeill-featured "Adios" contain significant Latin flavor along with a heavy influence of Destiny's Child and Nelly Furtado, while another piano-driven track in "Tell The Truth" features Jussie in a vulnerable state: touching on how in the show his father Lucious is making him hide the truth of his sexuality.
All in all, 'The Outspoken King' manages to continue following the standard that the pilot EP has set for future material. The production, vocals and lyricism continue to hit consistently, and consistency is what is keeping the music coming from this hit drama one to take note to. There's no doubt that the future material will continue to keep hitting the standard as the previous two albums have, which is a good sign that their won't be much missteps as the music continues to roll as the season progresses.
