When Star, Simone and Alex are invited to perform at a fancy charity event, Jahil puts Alex in the lead and strongly encourages Star to ditch Hunter. Ultimately, Star still manages to be the star, while Jahil dodges a debt.

During a neighborhood block party fundraiser, Hunter surprises Star by inviting superstar recording artist/producer Pumpkin to the event. Alexandra revaluates her dreams of stardom when her mother, Rose Spencer, shows up with an irresistible proposal. Meanwhile, Jahil explores a new opportunity and Cotton agrees to meet with Pastor Harris, hoping to mend her relationship with her mother.

Otis' murder wreaks havoc on God's Blessings Beauty Salon, and threatens to break up the family. More information is revealed about Carlotta's troubled past, Jahil is faced with an ultimatum and Cotton moves out.

Star and Hunter take their relationship to the next level, while Rose returns to help Alex and Derek deal with the aftermath of a traumatic experience. Carlotta reveals her reasoning for keeping a secret to herself for all of these years, and Cotton does the unthinkable to the one person she trusts the most. Meanwhile, the girls have a publicity photo shoot with social media guru Rachel Wells, and someone is finally arrested and charged for Otis' murder.

While still dealing with the repercussions of Hunter's death, Star goes to great lengths to assure that the group gets a release date for their album. A frustrated Simone struggles with bullying and Alexandra moves in with Derek despite the hardships they've experienced. Meanwhile, Carlotta faces difficult decisions when it comes to managing the group and turns to Jamal Lyon for advice.

The girls receive a rude awakening when the fierce new label head, Ayanna, demands they re-brand their image in order to have a shot at competing with the label's other talented artists. A disgruntled Star chooses to take matters into her own hands, causing tensions between her and Carlotta to escalate. Meanwhile, Alex, Simone and Cotton all struggle with adjusting to some major life changes.

While preparing for an upcoming TV appearance with recording artist Noah Brooks, the girls quickly learn that they will be singing backup instead of co-headlining the performance. Anxious for the girls' next big move, Carlotta turns to the new A&R executive, Maurice, for help on a new deal. Meanwhile, Jahil tries his hand at producing music, Cotton struggles with starting her new job and Star comes face-to-face with an unexpected person from her past.

Although Carlotta enjoys spending more time with Maurice, her family remains her No. 1 priority and she'll let nothing stop her from protecting them. Meanwhile, things don't go as planned during an interview with radio hosts Headkrack and Da Brat, which Midtown had arranged for its artists to promote the upcoming showcase. Also, Elliot is eager to take his relationship with Cotton to the next level, Jahil realizes he and Brody have a lot more in common than expected and the love triangle drama between Noah, Alex and Star intensifies.

With the showcase finally here, it's time for the Midtown artists to put all their hard work to the test and prove they have what it takes to win. In the process, relationships are tested, ruined and sparked. Meanwhile, Carlotta's salon is under fire in more ways than one, turning everyone's world upside-down.