‘Glee’ Takes On “Empire State Of Mind” — Listen Here!

We’ve barely noticed that Glee has been on hiatus all summer long, since the cast (as well as the show’s tie-in merchandise) has been popping up all over the place. The first episode of Season 2 (which premieres—shriek!—next week!) features New Directions planning a jaunt to New York for nationals. And no mention of the Empire State can be musically complete without covering Jay-Z’s #1 song. Listen to the Gleeked-out version of “Empire State Of Mind” below!

[wpaudio url=”//static.idolator.com/uploads/2010/09/Empire-state-of-mind-glee.mp3″ text=”Glee Cast – Empire State Of Mind” dl=”0″] Unsurprisingly, all the NSFW lyrics and non-PG references to drugs have been edited out, but this isn’t a Kidz Bop version of Jay’s song. It’s still a pretty damn rousing anthem—and fairly long, clocking in at almost five minutes. This track will almost definitely be cut down for the show, as the premiere is already crammed with six other musical numbers, including Lady Gaga and Beyonce’s “Telephone.”

Here’s the single sleeve, available for download on Tuesday, the same day as the Season 2 premiere: