AJ Calloway Throws It Way Back for ‘Empire’ Prince Tribute

AJ even made a cameo of his own, reprising his gig as host of BET's then-hit show “106 & Park.” In the episode, AJ rocks his famous braids from back in the day while interviewing Terrence Howard's character, who is reflecting on his start in the music business.

Terrence wished he had been a guest on the show in real life, saying, “I always wanted to go on that when y'all were doing that. I wasn't a big dog then, but now we get to recreate '106 & Park.'”

When Howard tried to convince AJ to bring back his braids permanently, AJ replied, “I'm not bringing them back, Terrence.” Terrence joked, “He's got to go through the ugly stage, three years of ugly when it's like that, then it's gonna be him.” AJ, turning to the camera, affirming, “America, don't worry, this is not coming back.”

Terrence is happy to be back on “Empire” for Season 4, commenting on how he's treated on the set, “Here, I'm the king. If I want Coca-Cola, everyone gets me the Coca-Cola right away. If I want SkinnyPop, I get that. At home, I can't ask for nothing — my wife is in charge.”

The Lyons family is going all “Game of Thrones,” banding together and going to war with a family whose matriarch is played by Phylicia Rashad. Terrence shared, “This season is the best writing we ever had and the family is starting to come together. There is a huge war taking place.”

As for working with Phylicia, Howard gushed, “You would think she would be Clair Huxtable — ain't nothin' Clair about her! She's the gangster-est b***h on the planet… handling her business… When you see the stuff she is doing, she is psychologically coming after our family.”