Listen, kids. If you’ve never seen the classic Eddie Murphy stand-up films Raw and Delirious, they’re like a filthy, offensive time machine into the past. They’re from the ‘80s, so the jokes are definitely going to be inappropriate to today’s sensibilities. But his delivery and the way he works an audience is a masterclass in how to perform stand-up comedy.
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Once Beverly Hills Cop made him a megastar, the Emmy-winner focused on movies, stepping away from stand-up. However, as he experiences a career resurgence, the legend is looking to get back on the road. While promoting his upcoming Netflix film, You People, Murphy said that he was ready to return to stand up in 2019, but the pandemic forced him to cancel those plans. Now, he’s once again thinking about a stand-up comedy comeback, but he has to write new material. “[It’s a] whole different world since the pandemic,” he told Complex. The Grammy winner has ideas for what he wants to do, saying, “My show won’t just be stand-up; my show will be music and stand-up.”
The former Saturday Night Live star does have plenty of music experience. In case you weren’t around back in 1985, Murphy had a hit with the extremely catchy “Party All the Time.” The song, written and produced by the iconic Rick James, hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. If you’ve somehow never heard it, be careful. Because after one listen, you will never stop singing it. Murphy also received critical acclaim in 2006 for his performance as R&B singer Jimmy Early in Dreamgirls.
The real question is: How will Murphy incorporate music into his stand-up? Will it be parody songs? Or maybe he’ll do impressions of popular singers? Perhaps he’ll just do a 2-for-1 show, where he drops musical performances in with the jokes? Whatever he decides to do, when Eddie Murphy finally decides he’s ready for stand-up, it will be a game-changer for the industry.
You People premieres on Jan. 27 on Netflix.
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