Considering Empire is as much about the hip-hop and R&B as it is about its heightened plot twists and doom-laden flash-forwards, losing a performance in the second-to-last episode would probably be a huge deal for all involved, especially if it was for a new single.
Possibly to be expected, Jussie Smollett’s musical number has also reportedly been cut out of the episode.
No word on whether it would be replaced by another Lyon family member’s performance, or if another dialogue-centric scene would get written up instead.