SPOILER ALERT: Empire welcomes Ludacris development as Lucious Lyons continues to make music while in prison
Lucious Lyon already has evaded terminal illness and on Wednesday's episode of Empire the hip-hop mogul surprisingly gained his freedom after blackmailing his judge.
The ruthless label owner, played by Terrence Howard, even managed to record an edgy hit single from prison.
The record, titled Snitch Bitch, was targeted at his diva wife Cookie [Taraji P. Henson] who has set out to destroy him.
From the joint: Lucious Lyon recorded music from prison on Wednesday's episode of the Fox show Empire
But even Cookie admitted that the single was 'damn hot'.
Lucious' megalomaniacal escapades were briefly scuppered by a tough prison guard called Officer McKnight - played by the rapper and actor Ludacris.
Another celebrity cameo came in the form of ex Destiny's Child star Kelly Rowland who played Lucious' mentally ill mother.
Prison guard: Ludacris portrayed prison guard Officer McKnight who challenged Lucious in prison
The evil protagonist's meteoric comeback was aided by Thirsty Rawling a mysterious attorney from the University of Gua.
The lawyer [Andre Royo of The Wire] conveniently knew how to smuggle medication and musical equipment into jail and how to acquire incriminating photos of Lucious' judge ahead of a bail hearing.
The episode titled Without A Country opened with Cookie and her disgruntled brood planning to launch their own company.
Own company: Andre, Cookie and Hakeem were kicked out of Empire and banded together to form their own record company
They were in a hurry to ignite the project while Lucious was still in the clink.
After finding some graffiti-spoiled premises they tried to agree on a name for the firm.
'Whatever we call it, as long as mama's got something to do with it, it's gonna live up to its name,' announced Cookie.
Rocking bangs: Cookie assured her sons that the new label would thrive
'Dynasty...that's a dope name,' she mused to herself later in a nod to the 1980s TV show.
Meanwhile, in the prison yard, Lucious freestyle rapped with his fellow criminals but dissolved into coughing fits from his chronic lung condition.
Hip hop star Ludacris, 38, made his first appearance as Officer McKnight and asserted his authority in the penitentiary by calling Lucious a 'boy'.
Prison yard: Lucious was surrounded by convicts when he broke into a rap
Coughing fit: The hip=hop mogul erupted into a coughing fit while rapping
'This is my house,' said McKnight, who looked suitably slick in his black uniform and dark black shades.
McKnight later tried to bargain with Lucious, via the feisty case prosecutor Roxanne [Tyra Ferrell] who is fond of very low-cut blouses.
'I think you make us all look bad, as far as I'm concerned the world would be a better place without you,' McKnight told Lucius.
No sympathy: Ludacris portrayed Officer McKnight who had no sympathy for Lucious
'But the federal prosecutor, Ms. Roxanne Ford, she's more forgiving than me, and that medication of yours, it might just magically turn up if you'd just be a little more co-operative….think about that,' he told him with lingering gravitas.
Unperturbed Lucious pulled a few strings to smuggle recording equipment into the jail – all part of his coldblooded plot to frighten Cookie and regain Empire.
McKnight busted the party and locked him up in solitary confinement.
Joint music: Lucious secretly recorded music in prison in a storage room
Work early: McKnight arrived to work early and broke up the recording session
Some thugs however attacked McKnight in a parking lot and later were seen handing the jailhouse recordings to Thirsty.
Back at Cookie's venture Hakeem [Bryshere Gray] was being criticised for spending too much time 'chasing tail' and not enough time writing music.
He concocted a plan to create a mixed-race girl band with 'one white girl, one black girl and one Hispanic'.
Parking lot: The prison guard strolled alone in a parking lot and was attacked by thugs
Beat down: The thugs beat up McKnight and took the laptop with the prison music
Girl group: Hakeem auditioned singers for his all-girl group
'I'm gonna call them Rainbow Sensation,' he told his mother.
'That's the dumbest idea I've ever heard…did your daddy drop you on your head?' she barked.
Hakeem then offended the talent Tiana Brown [Serayah McNeill] by asking her to join the tacky girl group.
Aspiring star: Tiana Brown [Serayah McNeill] was looking to strike out on her own
Sing and dance: Tiana showed she can sing and dance
'I'm already at the forefront of my own thing,' she scoffed.
Hakeem's gay brother Jamal [Jussie Smollett] then tried to poach Hakeem back to Empire.
'We're family,' he told him.
Brother to brother: Andre tried to get Hakeem to return to Empire
As badboy Hakeem canoodled in the hot tub with aspiring Latina singer Valentina [Becky G] she too encouraged him to rejoin his father.
'Empire is legendary,' she purred, but Hakeem defied all of them and leaked his album online.
'All I care about is that my music is out there and that it's legendary,' he smirked.
Hot in here: Valentina [Becky G] spent time in a hot tub with Hakeem
Big dreams: Hakeem has big ambitions and moved to realize his dreams
'We'll sue the draws off your black a**,' threatened Jamal when he heard.
'Tell father when I sell out at the Garden I got him some VIP tickets,' sneered Hakeem.
'Our Dynasty is gonna crush your little Empire,' he announced flamboyantly.
Own way: The youngest son leaked his own album online
While Jamal fumed at Hakeem, Andre's pregnant girlfriend Rhonda [Kaitlin Doubleday] begged him to employ her baby daddy.
Andre [Trai Byers] subsequently quit his mother's project and implored his reluctant father for forgiveness.
But heartless Lucious could not pardon Andre for his mental illness – a perceived weakness in the killer's eyes.
Don't hate: Andre asked his father why he hated him
'I don't need you,' said Lucious, after a flashback revealed a younger version of himself with his own mother [Kelly Rowland].
'You look at me like I'm some kind of mutant. Why do you hate me?' asked Andre dejectedly.
Lucious was granted bail after Thirsty managed to dig dirt on his magistrate.
Flashback memory: Lucious had a flashback to his mother [Kelly Rowland] singing to him
Legal eagle: Thirsty Rawlings [Andre Royo] got bail reduced for Lucious and his release on bond
New evidence: The judge lowered the bail after receiving incriminating 'evidence' from Thirsty
When the judge was presented with kinky pictures of himself with a ball gag, Lucious was released on $1million bond.
'He poses no flight risk,' announced the beleaguered judge to the horror of the prosecutor.
Cookie was reluctant to have her nemesis Anika (Grace Gealey) back on the team as A&R chief – and the two came to comical blows.
Going at it: Cookie did not try to hide her disdain for Anika
Squared off: Anika did not back down when she was confronted by Cookie
'If it weren't for me, b****es like you would spend a lifetime on their knees,' the matriarch told Anika.
For a musical interlude Veronika Bozeman, aka 'V', performed a high register ballad called Hourglass.
The sophomore season of Empire continues next week on Fox.
Musical interlude: Veronika Bozeman performed a ballad titled Hourglass
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