Eddie Murphy: influences, peers and legacy

Every connection with its receipt

Eddie Murphy arrived on Saturday Night Live at 19 and rewrote what a Black comic could be on network television, in arenas, and at the box office — then detoured into R&B with a Rick James collaboration that became a Top 5 hit. This mix traces the comedy lineage he absorbed, the New York scene that made him, and the generation of comics who grew up quoting Raw.

The Kynda mix for Eddie Murphy

• Key Influence · That Nigger's Crazy by Richard Pryor (1974). Pryor's Grammy-winning album is the template Murphy studied and eventually confronted: character-driven storytelling, profanity as rhythm, Black domestic life rendered as theater. Murphy's Raw opens with a bit about Pryor phoning him with advice, and his early SNL work reworks Pryor's persona-shifting technique for television. The relationship was competitive and reverent at once, the classic apprentice-to-master arc of American stand-up.','
• Influencia Obscura · You Gotta Wash Your Ass by Redd Foxx (1976). Foxx's party records circulated on the underground 'blue' label circuit long before mainstream comedy albums existed, and that scatological, club-bred bluntness runs straight through Murphy's arena work. Murphy later cast Foxx as Sanford-esque hustler Bennie Wilson in Harlem Nights, directing the man whose filthy nightclub LPs helped legitimize the register Murphy performed in leather onstage.
• Local Roots · It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back by Public Enemy (1988). Murphy came up in Bushwick and then Roosevelt, Long Island, the same suburban Black Long Island that produced Chuck D and the Bomb Squad a few years behind him. He worked Long Island comedy clubs as a teenager while that scene formed; Public Enemy's aggressive, sample-dense assertion of Black voice on a national stage is the musical counterpart to Murphy's takeover of NBC from the same few square miles.
• Beyond the Medium · The Nutty Professor by Jerry Lewis (1963). Lewis's split-personality farce gave Murphy the vehicle for his 1996 reinvention, where he played the Klump family in heavy prosthetics and shifted from swaggering leading man to multi-character ensemble player. The Lewis lineage of physical clowning and grotesque transformation — a white Borscht Belt tradition — reroutes Murphy's talent for voices into an entirely different comic register.
• Peer · Reality... What a Concept by Robin Williams (1979). Williams was the other comedy supernova of the era, crossing from a sketch-driven TV breakout into film stardom on the same timeline, and both men were Grammy-nominated stand-up recording artists in the early eighties. His debut album's manic free-association is the stylistic opposite of Murphy's controlled swagger, which is exactly why the pairing maps the period's two dominant approaches.
• From the Canon · Delirious by Eddie Murphy (1983). The red-leather HBO special that made him a stadium act at 22: an hour of ice cream trucks, family cookouts and impressions delivered with total physical confidence. It captures the moment his SNL fame converted into a stand-up phenomenon, and its structure — long autobiographical set pieces built from voices — is the method underlying everything from Coming to America to the Klumps.
• Key Collaborator · Street Songs by Rick James (1981). James wrote and produced 'Party All the Time' for Murphy, giving the comedian a genuine pop hit and later becoming the subject of one of the most-quoted sketches in comedy history. Street Songs is the peak of the punk-funk sound James brought to that session — 'Super Freak' and 'Give It to Me Baby' — and explains why Murphy sought him out as a musical partner.
• Legacy · Bring the Pain by Chris Rock (1996). Murphy discovered Rock at a New York comedy club in the mid-eighties, put him in Beverly Hills Cop II and mentored him toward SNL — a debt Rock has described repeatedly. Bring the Pain is the special where the protégé found his own voice, taking Murphy's arena-scale delivery and pointing it at politics and race with a precision Murphy never attempted.

What influenced Eddie Murphy

• Richard Pryor (1940). Eddie Murphy is listed among comedians who cited Pryor as an influence. (also via Eddie Murphy: Raw, That Nigger's Crazy) “Murphy was inspired by Pryor's taboo approach to comedy and did perfect impersonations of Presley, who he used as a model for what a star could be.” (Wikipedia)
• Redd Foxx. Redd Foxx listed among Murphy's early influences. (also via Raw, You Gotta Wash Your Ass) “In 1989, Foxx was featured in the film Harlem Nights , written, directed, produced and starring Eddie Murphy .” (Wikipedia)
• Peter Sellers. Murphy's multi-character acting style imitates Peter Sellers. “This is intended as Murphy's tribute to one of his idols, Peter Sellers .” (Wikipedia)
• Rudy Ray Moore. Murphy portrayed Rudy Ray Moore, an homage to the comedian's life. (also via Dolemite) “In October 2019, Murphy produced and starred in Dolemite Is My Name as Rudy Ray Moore .” (Wikipedia)
• That Nigger's Crazy by Richard Pryor (1974). That Nigger's Crazy (Richard Pryor) — titan for Eddie Murphy “When Murphy was fifteen, he listened to Richard Pryor 's comedy album That Nigger's Crazy , which inspired his decision to become a comedian.” (Wikipedia)
• Dolemite by Rudy Ray Moore (1975). Dolemite (Rudy Ray Moore) — ghost for Eddie Murphy “=== 2019–present: Career resurgence === In October 2019, Murphy produced and starred in Dolemite Is My Name as Rudy Ray Moore.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Nutty Professor by Jerry Lewis (1963). The Nutty Professor (Jerry Lewis) — culture for Eddie Murphy “Comedians Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo both parodied Lewis when he hosted SNL in 1983.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Phyllis Diller (1917). NYT compares Eddie Murphy's laugh style to Diller's. “Eddie Murphy also punctuated jokes with a loud laugh, in a style reminiscent of Diller's persona.” (Wikipedia)
• Elvis Presley. Murphy directly cited Elvis Presley as an influence. “Murphy has cited as influences Richard Pryor , Elvis Presley , Muhammad Ali and Bruce Lee .” (Wikipedia)
• George Clinton. Murphy will portray George Clinton in a biopic. “On March 31, 2022, it was announced that Murphy will portray George Clinton in an untitled biopic” (Wikipedia)
• Fred Rogers. Murphy's SNL character Mr. Robinson parodied Fred Rogers. “a streetwise children's show host named Mr. Robinson (parodying Fred Rogers , who found it amusing)” (Wikipedia)
• Marvin Gaye (1939). Documents cross-medium influence of Gaye's style on Murphy's film role. “For his Oscar-nominated role as James "Thunder" Ealy in the film Dreamgirls, Eddie Murphy replicated Gaye's 1970s clothing style.” (Wikipedia)
• Wonderfulness by Bill Cosby (1966). Wonderfulness (Bill Cosby) — titan for Eddie Murphy “Other early influences included Bill Cosby, Redd Foxx, Robin Williams, Muhammad Ali, Bruce Lee, and Charlie Chaplin.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• You Gotta Wash Your Ass by Redd Foxx (1976). You Gotta Wash Your Ass (Redd Foxx) — ghost for Eddie Murphy “Other early influences included Bill Cosby, Redd Foxx, Robin Williams, Muhammad Ali, Bruce Lee, and Charlie Chaplin.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Bill Cosby (1937). Cosby listed among Murphy's early influences. (also via Wonderfulness)
• Robin Williams. Robin Williams listed among Murphy's early influences. (also via Reality... What a Concept)
• Live at the Apollo by James Brown (1963). Live at the Apollo (James Brown) — titan for Eddie Murphy
• Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali listed among Murphy's early influences.
• Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee listed among Murphy's early influences.
• Charlie Chaplin. Charlie Chaplin listed among Murphy's early influences.

Peers and kindred spirits

• Michael Jackson. Murphy collaborated with Michael Jackson on a music video. (also via Dangerous, Remember the Time) “He performed in a music video of the single " Whatzupwitu " , featuring Michael Jackson .” (Wikipedia)
• Rick James. Rick James produced Murphy's hit single. (also via Street Songs) “As a solo artist, Murphy had two hit singles, " Party All the Time " (produced by Rick James )” (Wikipedia)
• Steve Martin (1945). Murphy co-starred with Steve Martin in Bowfinger. (also via A Wild and Crazy Guy) “An exception to this run of poorly received adult-themed films was the Frank Oz comedy Bowfinger (1999), also starring Steve Martin .” (Wikipedia)
• Hollywood Shuffle by Robert Townsend (1987). Hollywood Shuffle (Robert Townsend) — geography for Eddie Murphy “At a press conference to promote Beverly Hills Cop II, Murphy announced the existence of the Black Pack, a creative alliance between a group of Black male comedians/actors/writers/directors that included himself, Arsenio Hall, Paul Moone…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Street Songs by Rick James (1981). Street Songs (Rick James) — collaborator for Eddie Murphy “As a solo artist, Murphy had two hit singles, "Party All the Time" (produced by Rick James) and "Put Your Mouth on Me", during the latter half of the 1980s.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Dangerous by Michael Jackson (1991). Dangerous (Michael Jackson) — collaborator for Eddie Murphy “He performed in a music video of the single "Whatzupwitu", featuring Michael Jackson.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Dan Aykroyd. Murphy co-starred with Dan Aykroyd in Trading Places. “The following year, Murphy starred in Trading Places with SNL original cast member Dan Aykroyd .” (Wikipedia)
• John Landis. Murphy collaborated repeatedly with director John Landis. “The movie marked the first of Murphy's collaborations with director John Landis , who would go on to direct Murphy in Coming to America (1988) and Beverly Hills Cop III (1994).” (Wikipedia)
• Remember the Time by Michael Jackson. Murphy appeared in Michael Jackson's music video. “In 1992, Murphy appeared in the music video for Michael Jackson's " Remember the Time " alongside Magic Johnson and Iman .” (Wikipedia)
• Shabba Ranks. Murphy recorded a duet with Shabba Ranks. “He recorded a duet with Shabba Ranks called "I Was a King".” (Wikipedia)
• Joe Piscopo. Murphy provided vocals on Joe Piscopo's single. “Though uncredited, Murphy provided vocal work on SNL castmate Joe Piscopo 's 1985 comedy single, "The Honeymooners Rap".” (Wikipedia)
• I'm a Believer by The Monkees. Murphy covered the Monkees' song in Shrek. “In the first film, he performed a version of the Monkees ' " I'm a Believer " in the film's final scene” (Wikipedia)
• Livin' La Vida Loca by Ricky Martin. Murphy covered Ricky Martin's song in Shrek 2. “in Shrek 2 , he performed Ricky Martin 's hit " Livin' La Vida Loca " , along with co-star Antonio Banderas” (Wikipedia)
• To Be Loved by Jackie Wilson. Murphy imitated Jackie Wilson's song in Coming to America. “In Coming to America , he imitated Jackie Wilson when he sang " To Be Loved "” (Wikipedia)
• Enough Is Enough by Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer. Murphy's song parodied Streisand/Summer's original. “the latter being a parody of Barbra Streisand 's and Donna Summer 's 1979 song, " No More Tears "” (Wikipedia)
• Wes Craven. Murphy collaborated with director Wes Craven. “Murphy also starred in The Distinguished Gentleman (1992), a political comedy, and Vampire in Brooklyn (1995), a horror-comedy directed by Wes Craven .” (Wikipedia)
• Charlie Murphy. Murphy co-wrote Harlem Nights with his brother Charlie Murphy. “On Harlem Nights (1989), Murphy worked as director, producer and star, as well as sharing co-writer duties with his brother, Charlie Murphy .” (Wikipedia)
• Frank Oz. Murphy worked with director Frank Oz on Bowfinger. “An exception to this run of poorly received adult-themed films was the Frank Oz comedy Bowfinger (1999), also starring Steve Martin .” (Wikipedia)
• Brett Ratner. Murphy worked with director Brett Ratner on Tower Heist. “Murphy co-starred in Tower Heist (2011), directed by Brett Ratner , alongside Ben Stiller , Matthew Broderick , and Casey Affleck .” (Wikipedia)
• Saturday Night Live. Murphy was a cast member of Saturday Night Live. “Murphy shot to fame on the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live , for which he was a regular cast member from 1980 to 1984” (Wikipedia)
• Harlem Nights. Murphy wrote, directed, produced, and starred in Harlem Nights. “In 1989, Foxx was featured in the film Harlem Nights , written, directed, produced and starring Eddie Murphy .” (Wikipedia)
• It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back by Public Enemy (1988). It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (Public Enemy) — geography for Eddie Murphy (musicbrainz.org)
• Reality... What a Concept by Robin Williams (1979). Reality... What a Concept (Robin Williams) — peer for Eddie Murphy “Other early influences included Bill Cosby, Redd Foxx, Robin Williams, Muhammad Ali, Bruce Lee, and Charlie Chaplin.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• A Wild and Crazy Guy by Steve Martin (1978). A Wild and Crazy Guy (Steve Martin) — peer for Eddie Murphy “An exception to this run of poorly received adult-themed films was the Frank Oz comedy Bowfinger (1999), also starring Steve Martin.” (en.wikipedia.org)

Who Eddie Murphy influenced

• Dave Chappelle (1973). Chappelle names Eddie Murphy as a major comedic influence. (also via Eddie Murphy: Raw, The Nutty Professor, Killin' Them Softly) “And he said, `You should write, man. You got, like, a writer's mind.'” (Fresh Air (NPR))
• Chris Rock (1965). Chris Rock cites Murphy as an influence. (also via The Nutty Professor, Delirious, Bring the Pain) “Rock's comedy influences are Bill Cosby , Redd Foxx , Dick Gregory , Flip Wilson , Richard Pryor , Steve Martin , Pigmeat Markham , Woody Allen , Bill Maher , Eddie Murphy ,” (Wikipedia)
• Sharam. Sharam sampled Murphy's song for a hit single. (via Party All the Time) “Sharam used a sample of the song for the UK No. 8 hit "PATT (Party All the Time)" in 2006.” (Wikipedia)
• Bring the Pain by Chris Rock (1996). Bring the Pain (Chris Rock) — legacy for Eddie Murphy “in Coming to America, Dave Chappelle in The Nutty Professor, and Chris Rock in Beverly Hills Cop II.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Killin' Them Softly by Dave Chappelle (2000). Killin' Them Softly (Dave Chappelle) — legacy for Eddie Murphy “in Coming to America, Dave Chappelle in The Nutty Professor, and Chris Rock in Beverly Hills Cop II.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Martin Lawrence. Martin Lawrence cites Murphy as an influence.
• Russell Brand. Russell Brand cites Murphy as an influence.