By his own admission, Empire co-creator Lee Daniels isnt the first guy youd think of when it comes to bringing a hip-hop soap opera to primetime. For one, the Oscar-nominated director of acclaimed dramas like The Butler andPrecious had never worked in television before he and Danny Strong co-created Foxs smash hit. (Im not Shonda Rhimes, he says. This is not my world.) Second, his knowledge of hip-hop pretty much ended withN.W.A. When I [produced] Monsters Ball, Puffy came in to audition, and I didnt know who he was, admits Daniels, 55. But I know good music. I know what makes the sensations go. Hes also savvy enough to listen to his kids, who recommended reaching out to Timbaland when he was looking for a music supervisor for his show.
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Therapper and groundbreaking producer responsible for hits such as Big Pimpin' and Cry Me a River quickly signed on for the series, which has proved to be the breakout hit of the season, seeing its ratings go up every week since its January 7th premiere an unprecedented streak in primetime television. (Last weeks episode was viewed by 13.02 million people.) Aside from the over-the-top appeal ofEmpire which centers on Terrence Howards music mogul Lucious Lyon and his familys feud over control of Empire Entertainment a key part of its success has been the original music, written in large part by longtime Timbaland protg Jim Beanz. Columbia Records will release the Season One soundtrack March 10.
Timbaland selected Beanz, 34, for the project from the ranks of what he calls Team Timbo, a musical Justice League of sorts. Theyre like superheroes, Timbaland says of his 10-person squad. You got Flash Gordon, you got the Incredible Hulk, youve got Wolverine. Everybody has a special technique. Beanz, he says, is well-suited to the gig because hes a multitasking superhero he can do production, he can write, he can act tracks out; if I say, Act like Missy [Elliott] on a track, he can act like Missy. That last skill lends itself particularly well to Empire, where Beanz writes for a host of characters, both male and female. (The Philadelphia-based producer says he creates 90 percent of the series original tracks; the shows current song of the moment,Drip Drop, is a collaboration between Beanz and fellow Philly producer Justin Bostwick.)
Given fast-paced television production schedules, turnaround time is tight: Beanz, usually has about a day three days tops to write music and lyrics, based on story information relayed by the shows producers, and record the track. Sometimes the information we send is really specific: Jamals going to sing a song about such-and-such, and its going to cause this reaction,' showrunner Ilene Chaiken says. We dont say what the song is, we dont write lyrics. We dont even necessarily speak about musical style unless its very specific to the story.
The goal is to create something that goes against the grain, music that has its own identity, Beanz says. One of the things that Tim told me is, If it sounds like something youve heard before, dont do it.' Upon completing a demo, hell sends the song to the Timbaland, based in Miami, wholl suggest changes; once those are implemented, the track goes to Fox and the shows creative braintrust.
After songs are approved, Beanz flies to Chicago, where the series is shot, to record cast members vocals for the final tracks. (Though he has no professional acting experience, Beanz himself appears on the series; he was drafted to play Empires Titan described on the show as the most authentic artist sinceTupac after the rapper hired for the role dropped out at the eleventh hour.)
From the networks point of view, having original music on Empire is a tremendous boon in terms of marketing and promotion. With [Foxs] Glee, whenever we wanted to use a [cover] song in advertising, we had to go to a publisher for permission and pay a licensing fee, says Geoff Bywater, senior vice president of music at 20th Century Fox TV. The show, and the network, have the right to use these songs in all forms of advertising, including music videos for the tracks No Apologies and Good Enough, he says.
Theres a different kind of synergy with the music in Empire, Bywater adds, because weve got potential music careers that can pop out of it. Next season may see the release of individual albums from the actor-musicians who play competing brothers Jamal and Hakeem (Jussie Smollett and Bryshere Yazz Gray, respectively), and Terrence Howard, who stars as Empire Entertainment head Lucious Lyons, according to Shawn Holiday,Senior Vice Presidentat Sony Music Entertainment.
Daniels hints at major changes to come in Season Two: To be an empire, the series has to be in a bigger world than just hip-hop. For it to really work, Lucious should have country singers, he should have rock singers. (The show has already dabbled with the latter idea, with a guest arc by Courtney Love.) Lee figures theyll have to hire songwriters outside of Timbalands stable for those genres, but dont count Beanz out he has some hidden super powers. I do much more than just hip-hop and R&B, he says. Ive done pop, Ive done dancehall reggae, country, gospel. Im absolutely capable and ready to do whatever is thrown my way.
For his part, when Timbaland looks to the future, he sounds an awful lot like Empire Entertainments CEO. Empires just the start of what my teams about to do, he predicts. Were gonna monopolize music. Anything dealing with music, youre gonna have to come see Team Timbo.