‘Empire’ Star Terrence Howard’s Rapping Sparks Mixed Reviews on Social Media

(Spoiler alert: Please do not read on if you haven’t watched Wednesday’s episode of “Empire”)

Lucious Lyon may be stuck behind bars but that doesn’t mean he has to say goodbye to the music industry.

On Wednesday’s episode of the hit Fox drama, the incarcerated hip-hop mogul (played by Terrence Howard) decided he wants to record a single from the inside. “I’m actually thinking about doing a Lucious Lyon joint from the joint!” he told son Jamal (Jussie Smollett), while smoking a joint.

Lyon’s musical aspirations were repeatedly interrupted by prison guard Officer McKnight, played by former “Hustle & Flow” and “Crash” co-star Ludacris, who threatened to withhold his ALS drugs unless he is “a little more cooperative.”

Howard consistently earns high praise for his portrayal of the Empire Entertainment CEO, but his rapping skills got mixed reviews on social media after Season 2’s latest gloriously over-the-top episode.

“I bet Terrence Howard went into this scene without even rehearsing the lines. This straight ‘Hustle and Flow,’” one Twitter user wrote.

While another more cynical user complained that Howard “rhymes like a dude rapping along to a song on his iPod sounds to the other people on the bus.”

The actor and musician earned an Oscar nomination for playing a Memphis hustler who dreams of becoming a rapper in 2005’s “Hustle & Flow.”

As usual, “Empire” was the top trend on Twitter Wednesday with fans gushing that it “did not disappoint” and complaining that it was only an hour long instead of two.

Read the tweets below.

Terrance Howard rhymes like a dude rapping along to a song on his iPod sounds to the other people on the bus.

— Hey Boo Topaki (@GeeDee215) October 1, 2015

Terrance Howard shoulda been a rapper. He rap too much in his acting career ?

— IG: King.xx96⚡️ (@KingDavidd_) October 1, 2015

Ludacris just getting back at Terrance Howard for whooping his ass in Crash and Hustle n Flow

— Mike Barnett (@Madb29_) October 1, 2015

Terrance Howard can not rap, but he can portray a pretty cold gangster

— The Lord Joshua (@thelordjoshua) October 1, 2015

A casting director was asked to find a rapper and landed on Terrance Howard … twice

— Rory (@thisisrory) October 1, 2015

https://twitter.com/TayyNoelle_/status/649397560818442240

Terrance Howard beats up Luda in everything they in together. It's gotta happen

— Fupa Gooding, Jr. (@JayeGoChillin) October 1, 2015

https://twitter.com/DeMarko_Gage/status/649404658923012096

As usual, @EmpireFOX did not disappoint! #Empire

— Jada K Hughes (@jkh_1983) October 1, 2015

What if Hakeem just always did shirtless push-ups, in any scene, no matter where he was? #Empire

— James Poniewozik (@poniewozik) October 1, 2015

https://twitter.com/Nigel_D/status/649405572996055041