Oh, and Anika, this is a premiere date!

Fox has officially marked the calendar for the hotly anticipated Season 2 kickoff of its hip-hop soap opera Empire — Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 9/8c.


Comedian Chris Rock, R&B superstar Alicia Keys and rock god Lenny Kravitz have all signed on for guest-starring roles during Season 2.

The castings (though no details on their roles) were announced at Fox’s’ annual Upfront presentation earlier this month.