empire

Terrence Howard Got Petey Pablo a Guest Spot on Empire Instead of Paying Him the $200 He Owed Him

What a friend. Photo: Getty Images

Empire has had plenty of unpredictable cameos, but none more random than when North Carolina rapper Petey Pablo (famous for 2004’s “Freek-A-Leek†and his “sick reputation for handling broads“) popped up on last night’s episode as Lucious Lyon’s musical collaborator behind bars. It’s through Clyde (Pablo) that Lucious channels his inner Gucci Mane and drops a diss track called “Snitch Bitch†from jail (with some help from The Wire’s Bubbles). Turns out Pablo’s Empire guest-spot was a decade in the making. Here’s the story Pablo told Raleigh’s WRAL: The two ran into each other at a Hustle & Flow premiere party back in 2005, where Howard had apparently lost his wallet. Pablo kindly loaned Howard $200, then never heard from him again … until Pablo received a call from Howard out of the blue earlier this year offering to repay him. Instead of simply Venmo-ing him the cash, Howard invited Pablo to appear on Empire and write four songs for Lucious, including “Snitch Bitch,†on which Pablo is featured. He even settled his old debt with added interest that totaled $15,000. My hitta, my hitta, my hitta!

How Terrence Howard Got Petey Pablo on Empire