Alicia Keys and Jussie Smollett

The episode starts out with the nominations for the American Sound Awards and a lot of Empire’s artists are hoping to receive a nomination. Lucious (Terrence Howard) is pulling for his son Jamal (Jussie Smollett) while Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) is hoping that hew own company, Lyon Dynasty, and Hakeem (Bryshere Y. Gray) can get a few nominations of their own.

At the same time, Lucious is finalizing his decision to buy the largest music streaming service in the world with Empire. He is working with his partner Mimi Whiteman (Marisa Tomei), but the two do not seem to be on the same page. She knows that she can’t have Lucious leading the way for the now-public Empire and she will do whatever it takes to get him out.

Jamal is excited at his nominations and his deal with Pepsi, but he is also dealing with his relationship with Skye Summers (Alicia Keys), another artist who he hooked up with on a whim. He knows he's gay and that he just got too into their collaboration, but he does not want to hurt her. It does make his father happy. However, Lucious even says that she fixed his son.

While Jamal is racking up nominations, Hakeem fails to be nominated for Best Rapper and he is distraught.

After signing the deal for the streaming company, Mimi reveals to the board of Empire that Lucious does not care about any of them and would do anything to have total control. She proposes a vote to take him out of his position and now Lucious must scramble to ensure that he has enough votes to keep his company.

While Andre (Trai Byers) is trying to help out his father, he also is helping Rhonda (Kaitlin Doubleday) prepare for their baby. Meanwhile, Anika (Grace Gealey) keeps trying to get closer to Rhonda as she learns more about the Lyon family.

Cookie is also busy during the day as she promised her friend that she'd put on a performance in the prison where she spent a good portion of her life. She brings Hakeem and Laura (Jamila Velazquez) and even meets up with a few of her old friends from prison.

It is also revealed that Mimi is married to Camila (Naomi Campbell), the woman who Hakeem used to be in love with but Lucious shipped off to another country. Camila goes to visit Hakeem and gets in his head that his family is all wrong.

Jamal talks to Skye about their relationship and they hash out that he could never love her like he could love a man, and all is well between the two.

Lucious thinks he and his team have done enough to secure the vote and keep him in charge at Empire, however, Hakeem ends up voting with Mimi and this effectively takes Lucious away from his position at Empire. Mimi ends up replacing Lucious with Camila, something that was definitely a part of her plan all along when the two got married.

Lucious is obviously broken and distraught over the decision and, in the most emotional scene of the season, is in tears shooting a gun in his house. Cookie has to come and calm him down and bring him back up.

While Jamal, Andre and the parents wait to hear the nominees for Song of the Year, an award that Lucious never won, Rhonda is at home alone when the security alarm goes off. The alarm has been going off a lot lately, so she does not think much of it. However, as she is standing at the top of the stairwell, she is pushed down the stairs and is knowcked unconscious. This fall almost surely has killed her unborn baby, leading viewers to believe that it was Anika who pushed her down the stairs. This would mean that a pregnant Anika would have the only Lyon grandbaby, and would win back the affection of Lucious and the rest of the Lyon family.

Back at Lucious’s home, they gather to watch the announcement and it is revealed that both Jamal and Lucious are nominated for Song of the Year. Now, since Lucious never won the award, he will surely campaign ahrdest for himself and leave his son in the dust.

Catch “Empire” Wednesdays at 9 on Fox.

Reach Staff Reporter Noah Camarena here and follow him on Twitter here.