EDDIE MURPHY THE MAN
SNL, Dolemite + Coming to America ll
It’s no easy feat to become a comedy legend before your prime, let alone outgrow a sketch-comedy empire that stands to this day. For Eddie Murphy, it’s all in a career’s work. And with more feats ahead on the horizon, we give props to one of the greatest stand-up comics in modern-day history.
The multi-talented funny man from New York burst onto the scene in the 80s as a quick-witted, charismatic teenager. He did shows up and down the east coast and featured future legends like Damon and Keenan Ivory Wayans. He soon made waves at NBC’s Saturday Night Live, joining the cast at age 19, quickly becoming the standout in an already stacked cast of talented entertainers.
Murphy became too big to stay under one roof before long, selling out arenas across the globe and starring in films still prominent today. (With much of it coming before the age of 30!) By the end of his first decade atop the comedy mountain, he had done it all. His stand-ups were already classics.
Films like 48 Hours, Boomerang, Beverly Hills Cop, and Coming to America broke more ground for Murphy and many other black comics. So much so that the latter film, more than 30 years after its legendary release, drops a sequel next March. Beyond all of that, Murphy went into music. Making three studio albums, Murphy’s initial release, 1985’s How it Could Be, made it onto the Billboard 200, with hit single Party All The Time featuring Rick James landing a #2 spot on Billboard’s top 100. You read that right. He was THAT untouchable!
And while his stardom extended into family films and commercial successes, the Murphy legacy as a comedian complemented his range as an entertainer. From stand-up to voiceovers to acting to singing (and we mean singing), he did it all to perfection, stealing the show in almost every appearance he made. Need a compelling sidekick for a light-hearted ogre? Eddie’s the guy. Need a Chinese Dragon to warm your hearts? Call Eddie. Need him to have the most significant public meltdown and musical performance simultaneously, in a film with Beyoncé and Jennifer Hudson, no less? Sign him up!
His iconic performances are endless. The respect he gets from peers and fans alike is second-to-none. (Look at his SNL return.) For modern-day fans of comedy, it’s Murphy and Dave Chappelle. Two child prodigies who succeeded in record time took their lumps in Hollywood and became even bigger beyond it. Murphy’s difference, where Richard Pryor created the blueprint, Dave adopted it and Murphy perfected it.
Now that’s not just legendary; that’s Raw.
