'Empire' Has Enlisted A Surprising New Guest Star

Empire has featured even more guest stars with each new season, and it looks like Season 3 will be no exception to this rule: Apparently, French Montana will guest star on Empire in Season 3. It's a bit of a change for French, who many of us are just used to seeing producing music and occasionally appearing on Keeping Up with the Kardashians as Scott Disick's friend and Khloé Kardashian's ex-boyfriend — so most, if not all, are likely wondering who French Montana will play on Empire. Well, according to Entertainment Weekly, the role sounds like it will suit him: It will be that of a music mogul named Vaughn who's "a member of Lucious Lyon’s powerful inner circle." EW also ponders if he'll be a potential new love interest for Cookie.

EW already called it, but I'm going to second it — anyone who hangs out with Lucious seems to end up getting the hots for Cookie. Just think of Malcolm Dyveaux, the attractive security guard who Cookie eventually seduces. Besides which, Cookie's music acumen and smarts about how to produce the best possible hit means she'd be even more attractive in the eyes of a music mogul. Series co-creator Lee Daniels seems even more excited about this than Montana himself. He teased Montana's arrival on the show via an Instagram post showing the show newcomer hanging out with none other than rapper Birdman, who is all set to join the good ship Empire as himself.

Birdman also shared a photo of Montana and him:

Empire has always been a show which has paid careful attention to each character's clothes — we instantly know Hakeem is loud and extroverted from his taste for flashy, hyped brands, for example, while Andre's business know-how and cunning is communicated to the audience via his quietly expensive suits. Andre dresses to blend into the background so he can grab control in the most subtle, careful way. So what can we learn from French Montana's outfit here? I'd assume he's in costume since clearly Terence Howard is dressed as Lucious Lyon (business smart with a twist).

To me, Montana's outfit as Vaughn strongly recalls Jamal's stylings. Jamal isn't just the middle ground between his brothers Andre and Hakeem in fashion (he's gently guided by trends, but doesn't subscribe to them with the same passion Hakeem does), but he's also the middle ground between his brothers in temperament — he's creative like Hakeem, but he understands how to run a business like Andre. The fact that French Montana's Vaughn dresses so similarly implies to me that he's going to be a level-headed, good influence on Lucious.

Given the mountainous levels of drama on Empire, we could use a few more Jamals on set. So thank goodness Vaughn the music mogul is there for us and for Lucious.