10 Music Industry Pros Who Inspired Empire Characters - Page 5
Aside from indulging in its own ratchetness like a relapsing alcoholic at an open bar full of top shelf liquor, there’s a obvious reason Empire is drawing millions of viewers in each week.
photo: WENN
You can see some pretty clear influences from actual players in the music industry. They’ve might be dressed up and knee-deep in soap opera style plotlines, but if you analyze these 10 music industry pros who inspired Empire characters, the Lyon family doesn’t seem so fictional.
—
Photo: WENN
photo: WENN
Eazy E – Lucious Lyon
His illness wasn’t as drawn out as Empire is going to make Lucious’ bout with ALS, but Eazy E might secretly the template for Fox’s ratchet runaway hit. Like Lucious Lyon, Eazy-E was a drug dealer who used his business acumen to hop into the record industry. Ruthless had a diverse roster of artists just like Empire Records, but Eazy wasn’t able to see his vision through after dying of complications from AIDS in 1992.
photo: WENN
Faith Evans – Cookie Lyon
Many characters inspired the outspoken matriarch of the Lyon family. But the closest person you’ll find in the game right now might be the woman who was Biggie’s ride or die, and his actual wife. Faith was raised in the church and never did a bid for moving bricks, but she’s got the matching ink, high-end wardrobe, and she was down to stomp out Biggie’s sidepieces if she caught him creeping.
photo: WENN
Frank Ocean – Jamal Lyon
It’s hard not to picture Francis Ocean as the man who inspired Empire’s soul singing, anti-industry, reluctant flag-bearer for the LBGT cause. It’s a stretch, but Jamal punching Hakeem is kind of a nod to Frank Ocean fighting with Chris Brown back in 2013.
photo: WENN
Courtney Love – Elle Dallas
Maybe Courtney Love was too busy laughing at the parallels between Elle and her own life to be mad at being typecast as the recovering, white girl rocker. Love is rock royalty by virtue of being Kurt Cobain’s widow, and she saw her own success as a member of Hole. Add in her previous struggles with heroin, and boom…Elle Dallas all day.
photo: WENN
Porsha – Every Struggle Publicist
This one is more of an industry insider joke, but Porsha holds it down for every publicist out there fidgeting with their smartphone, dropping acerbic one-liners, and filling everyone’s inbox with pitches from bus stop rap royalty.
photo: WENN
Romeo – Hakeem
Hip-Hop isn’t immune from nepotism. Anyone who saw Romeo fall upwards into a profitable career of the strength of his pops being Master P can recognize Hakeem’s hustle. Despite being completely devoid of talent, Lucious keeps throwing money at his son’s terrible ideas like “Drip Drop,” because that’s what enterprising, loving dads in denial do.
photo: WENN
Azealia Banks – Serayah
A smart-mouthed starlet with an equal appetite for men and women who has pop sensibilities? Where have we seen that before?
photo: WENN
L.A. Reid – Andre Lyon
Andre is the buttoned up, prim and proper exec who keeps things from getting too ratchet. That’s pretty much been L.A. Reid’s M.O. since he was making hits with Babyface in the group The Deele. If you really want to go there, Reid even (allegedly) had a ruthlessly cutthroat wife who was down take advantage of an artist if needed.
photo: WENN
Sylvia Rhone – Anika Calhoun
This is purely a superficial comparison, but the dearth of Black, female executives means Anika is kind of inspired by Epic’s President, Sylvia Rhone. Unlike Anika, Rhone got her reputation on her own by guiding the careers of Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes, Metallica and others.
photo: WENN
Kimora Lee – Camilla Marks
Just like Kimora, Camilla is runway fine. But if you get caught up leering at her exotic, supermodel looks, you might forget she’s powerful and rich enough to pull a power move on you.
