Jussie Smollett was an actor at a young age through roles in The Mighty Ducks, the miniseries adaptation of Alex Haley's Queen, and the sitcom On Our Own. He resurfaced toward the tail end of the 2000s. When he landed the role of R&B artist Jamal Lyon for Fox's musical drama series Empire, he was in the process of recording an album in his home studio. During the program's high-rated first season, some of the original songs he fronted, including "Keep Your Money" and "You're So Beautiful," reached Billboard's Hot 100 chart. Near the end of Empire's first season, it was announced that Smollett signed a real-life recording contract with Columbia, the label that released Empire's music. ~ Andy Kellman