Eddie Murphy, who depending on your age you might remember used to be a very funny stand-up comedian, is attempting a comeback by releasing new material. Except not comedy material. Because you see Eddie Murphy's got an album coming out. An album of music.
A little recalled Murphy factoid is that he released an album back in 1985 called "How Could It Be". Another thing you didn't realise was that you know an Eddie Murphy song already. You probably know it quite well actually. Because you see Eddie Murphy is the original artist behind this...
That's right. His girl likes to party all the time, party all the time, party all the time. His album was met with almost exclusively negative reviews, apart from that one song, and he hasn't bothered with recording anything new since.
Till now.
His new album, simply titled "9", features tracks recorded by Murphy over the past 20 years which he's had locked in a vault. A vault he probably paid for with his "Norbit" money. Talking to Rolling Stone magazine, Eddie explained; "I got a lot of shit that’s really strong stuff. I was like, ‘I've got enough to do a whole record here that stands up on its own."
He's not wrong either. The first single, Red Light, is a hip-hop flavoured reggae tune and features none other than constantly evolving rap Pokemon Snoop Lion (who will soon gather enough power to finally transform into Snoop Dragon) and it's not bloody bad.
He sings, he plays the guitar, he wears a sleeveless t-shirt and do-rag and looks at his microphone like he's dying to kiss it. He's Eddie fucking Murphy, and while he hasn't made a film worth a damn in a bout 15 years, he might be able to gain some musical credibility. Or at the very least earn some sleeves.
"9" is set to be released early next year and "Red Light" is available now on iTunes.
Words by Gazz Wood
Gazz Wood is a writer from The Northern Film School at Leeds Met University. As well as writing for Wireless he can also be heard on the monthly podcast Possibly of Interest with TV Producer Howard Cohen and special guests from the world of British TV and Cinema, plus his own weekly show Gazz Wood Has A Podcast. He can also be followed on Twitter @GazzPH90
