Snoop Dogg, Rita Ora, Jennifer Hudson, & Juicy J Guest Star on 'Empire' Finale
“Empire” capped of its epic first season with a star-studded finale on Wednesday night. The two-hour episode, which drew huge ratings (16.7 million viewers tuned in), featured performances from the cast as well as superstars including Snoop Dogg, Rita Ora, Jennifer Hudson, and Juicy J.
After announcing a joint venture with Lucious Lyon’s Empire Records, Snoop performed his brand new Pharrell-produced single “Peaches N Cream,” and even brought Hakeem Lyon (Bryshere Gray) to the stage to spit some bars.
Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) tapped Rita Ora to perform at the Lucious Lyon Sound tribute concert. The British singer joined Charles Hamilton to debut the Harlem rapper’s new single “NY Raining” during soundcheck, but she ultimately never made it to the stage.
However, Jennifer Hudson and fellow Oscar winner Juicy J did get the crowd turned up with “Whatever Makes You Happy,” which appears on the chart-topping soundtrack. In addition to showcasing her powerful pipes, JHUD played a music therapist/gospel singer in the episode.