Timbaland Exits “Empire”; Bangers Will Now Be Written By “Pitch Perfect” Star Ester Dean

If you always wondered why the songs on Empire seemed suspiciously 2005-centric, it has much to do with its head songwriter and music producer: Timbaland.

But perhaps Lucious and Cookie will start selling slightly more contemporary-sounding tunes (and fewer that sample Dire Straits), now that Timbaland has exited the series.

According to Billboard, Timbaland is also taking his songwriting team with him.

Did he leave or was he fired? It's not yet known, though as recently as April, Timbaland told Billboard he was "now getting to do what I've always wanted to do" on Empire.

His space will be taken by Ester Dean, famously of Pitch Perfect but also responsible for writing Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass” and Katy Perry’s “Firework”.

She’ll be joined by four-time Grammy winner Rodney Jerkins, aka Darkchild. He helped deliver Destiny’s Child “Say My Name”, as you may recall from the song's opening line.

Whether or not the new duo can turn around Empire ­– which lost much of its critical lustre (not to mention some, but not all, of its viewers) – is yet to be seen.

That said, the coming third season promises a duet between Jussie Smollett’s Jamal and actual Mariah Carey, so we’re already down.

Photo: Fox.