[2] In terms of material, the release draws upon Murphy's work on the program Saturday Night Live.

The recording took place from April 30, 1982 to May 1, 1982, capturing some of Murphy's routines at the New York City venue The Comic Strip.

[4] Reviewing the album for AllMusic, critic Bret Adams wrote, "Despite Murphy's gifts, his first standup comedy album, 1982's Eddie Murphy, is uneven despite containing some classic routines.

"[3] In The Boston Phoenix, Joyce Millman said that "Judging from the angry-young-black routines on his album, [Murphy] seems to feel that silliness isn’t enough.

And these bits fall flat because he sounds uncomfortably like a Richard Pryor impersonator, funkying up his articulate, nice-boy voice.