Cyrus Langhorne
“Empire” star Bryshere “Yazz” Gray recently talked about his run on the hit Fox television show and how he channels on-screen bad boy “Hakeem Lyon.”
According to Gray, there is a distinct difference between how he writes rhymes for himself compared to the fictional character.
His role on the show spawned a record deal with Columbia Records. “When I write music for Yazz, it’s my personal experiences and what’s going on in my life,” Gray, who performs musically under the name “Yazz the Greatest,” explains. “And when I write for the character, it’s all trendy, fun and playful.” (WWD)
The 21-year-old actor also dished on working with “Empire” music executive Timbaland.
The showrunners have upped the music cred for the second season, bringing in Ne-Yo to work with Jussie Smollett (who plays middle son Jamal Lyon) and Timbaland (the show’s executive music producer) to write with Gray. “It’s amazing working with Timbaland; he’s a phenomenal producer,” Gray says. “He does what he does, he makes magic. He comes into the studio, that mad perfector that he is, and I’m just in the booth, writing lyrics for the cub Lyon. He gives me that special ingredient.” (WWD)
Last week’s “Empire” episode brought in over 11 million viewers.
The Fox drama, still handily the No. 1 show of the night, dropped four-tenths of a point in the key demo to a season-low 4.2 rating among adults 18-49. Empire’s overall audience was less humbled, relatively steady with 11.2 million viewers. (The Hollywood Reporter)
G-Unit leader 50 Cent poked fun at “Empire” slipping in ratings last month.
