Eddie Murphy’s fearless stand-up, unforgettable Saturday Night Live sketches, and his ability to bring humor, charm, and swagger to every role he played is infamous. But not many people have any idea Eddie Murphy was actually a pretty damn solid musician as well. And in 1985 at the height of his fame as one of Planet Earth’s biggest comedy stars he surprised everyone by dropping his debut album How Could It Be. Fresh off blockbuster films like Beverly Hills Cop and Trading Places, and with his stand-up career dominating pop culture, Murphy used his newfound creative freedom to drop a fun R&B and funk party record. Having grown up singing in his local church choir and drawing inspiration from artists like Rick James (who notably wrote and produced the hit single “Party All the Time”) Murphy approached the album with genuine enthusiasm. The best part about it all is that he recorded it as part of fulfilling a $100,000 bet with Richard Pryor. In the album’s liner notes Eddie Murphy actually wrote “To Richard Pryor, my idol, with whom I have a $100,000 bet. No, motherfucker, I didn’t forget.” What a legend.
Standout Songs: “Party All the Time”, “Con Confused”, “I Wish (I Could Tell You When)”
