Charlie Murphy's True Hollywood Stories

About

Charlie Murphy's True Hollywood Stories is a two-part mockumentary-style comedy sketch in which the comedian actor recounts his wild, comedic encounters with pop music celebrities in the 1980s, namely Rick James and Prince. Starring and co-written by Charlie Murphy and Dave Chappelle, the skit premiered on the American sketch comedy TV series Chappelle Show in February 2004. Both subjects of the sketch have since confirmed that the skits are based on true stories.

History

Rick James

The original Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories sketch aired in Season 2, Episode 4 of Chappelle Show on February 11th, 2004, with Murphy retelling his semi-autobiographical account of partying with the 1980s celebrity musician Rick James, portrayed by Dave Chappelle, and his bizarre antics. Upon its airing, the sketch immediately became one of the biggest hits in the show's history, spawning a handful of catchphrases uttered by both the character of Rick James, and the actual musician himself, many of which continued to thrive as popular catchphrase memes over the following decade.

Prince

Inspired by the sensational reception of the original sketch, Murphy and Chappelle promptly wrote, produced and aired a follow-up segment in the next episode, which aired on February 18th. Featuring the late rock musician Prince, Murphy recollects his memorable day of hanging with the popular rock musician, once again portrayed by Dave Chapelle, during which they play a basketball match that takes an interesting turn.

Fandom

"Fuck Yo Couch"

"Fuck Yo Couch" is a catchphrase used to convey complete irreverence for another individual or group and was first uttered by the comedian Dave Chappelle while playing the performer Rick James in the "Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories" skit. In the episode, James shows disrespect to party hosts Charlie and Eddie Murphy by soiling their white leather couch with his mud-covered boots (shown below).

"Cocaine is a Hell of a Drug"

"Cocaine is a hell of a drug" is another catchphrase stemming from the "Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories" skit, in which Rick James attempts to explain his past behavior by asserting that the ilicit substance cocaine is a "hell of a drug" (shown below).

"I'm Rick James, Bitch"

"Im Rick James Bitch" is a catchphrase originating in the Rick James "Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories" sketch, in which Chappelle announces "I'm Rick James bitch!" while portraying James.

"What Did the Five Fingers Say to the Face?"

""What did the five fingers say to the face?":https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/what-did-the-5-fingers-say-to-the-face is a fourth catchphrase from the "Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories" sketch in which James allegedly slapped Murphy across the face after asking him the rhetorical question.

Impact

In 2005, the catchphrase "Rick James" saw a huge resurgence when a large number of political campaign signs made for Rick James, a candidate, unrelated to the singer, running for a seat in the city council of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, were defaced to read "Vote Rick James Bitch!" by fans of the sketch.

Search Interest

External References