Listen up, guys. If you’ve never seen the classic Eddie Murphy stand-up movies Raw and Delirious, they’re like a dirty and offensive time machine to the past. This is from the 80s, so the jokes will be decidedly inappropriate for today’s sensibilities. But his portrayal of him and the way he works with audiences is a masterclass in performing stand-up comedy. Once Beverly Hills Cop made him a megastar, the Emmy winner focused on movies and moved away from stand-up. However, while he’s experiencing a career upswing, the legend is looking to get back on the road. While promoting his upcoming Netflix movie You People, Murphy said he’s ready to get back on his feet in 2019, but the pandemic has forced him to cancel those plans. He’s now contemplating a comeback comeback again, but he’s got some new material to write. “[It’s a] completely different world than the pandemic,” she told Complex. The Grammy winner has ideas about what he wants to do, saying, “My show isn’t just going to be stand-up; my show will be music and stand-up”.
The former Saturday Night Live star has a lot of musical experience. In case you weren’t around in 1985, Murphy had a hit with the extremely catchy “Party All the Time.” The song, written and produced by the iconic Rick James, reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. If you’ve somehow never heard it, watch out. Because after one listen you will never stop singing it. Murphy also received critical acclaim in 2006 for his portrayal of R&B singer Jimmy Early in Dreamgirls.
The real question is, how will Murphy incorporate music into his stand-up? Will they be parody songs? Or maybe they do impersonations of popular singers? Maybe just do a 2-for-1 show, where he puts on musical performances with the beats? Regardless of what he decides to do, when Eddie Murphy finally decides he’s ready to stand up again, it will be a game changer for the industry. You People will premiere January 27 on Netflix.
