Empire returns Sept. 21 and will hopefully address a number of questions from the previous season, but Season 3 is expected to include its own new drama. Rapper Kid Cudi is expected to join the cast of Fox’s hip hop drama as an adversary for Hakeem Lyon, Entertainment Weekly reported Wednesday.
Kid Cudi, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, will play the role of Gram, an independent musician who will butt heads with Hakeem (Bryshere “Yazz” Gray) throughout Season 3. Not only will the two be rivals in the studio, but also in life, as Gram will date Hakeem’s ex-girlfriend Tiana, according to EW.
There is no word on whether Kid Cudi will guest star during Empire Season 3 or have a recurring role. Actor Taye Diggs and rapper French Montana will also have roles in Empire Season 3.
In addition to his role on Empire, Kid Cudi will soon release a new studio album, Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’ . He is also known for acting roles in Entourage and James White.
Hakeem is expected to struggle during Season 3. Last we saw the youngest Lyon son, he was stood up by his ex-fiancée, Laura, on their wedding day. Showrunners have said the relationship is over for good, and Season 3 will delve into how Hakeem copes with the loss.
“Hakeem needs to regain his dignity, and hip-hop is going to play a big part of that,” Empire producer Ilene Chaiken told TV Line in May. “Given who Hakeem is, though, you can expect him to get into some trouble.”
Hakeem will also have to deal with becoming a father during Season 3. Anika is currently pregnant with his child, but is also now married to Hakeem’s father, Lucious. The two had a shotgun wedding after the FBI began investigating Lucious and were vetting Anika as a witness. Now Anika cannot testify against Lucious in court, possibly saving the mogul from ending up in jail again. But no one in the family is happy about this union.
Empire premieres Sept. 21 at 9 p.m. on Fox.
