Before Hollywood, Hardy dreamed of becoming a rapper

Before he became one of Hollywood's biggest stars, Tom Hardy seriously considered a music career.

In the late 1990s, he performed under the stage name Tomi No 1, and together with producer Ed Tracy, known as Eddie Too Tall, he recorded hip-hop music.

The two made a series of songs as teenagers, including the album “Falling On Your Arse,” which appeared on Bandcamp years later. They created music with very modest equipment - a handheld recorder, VHS movie samples, an Atari ST computer, an Akai sampler, and two turntables.

Tracy told Complex that Hardy asked him a few years ago if he still had their old recordings.

"Tom asked me if the album was still in the attic somewhere. And sure enough, it was there, completely raw, exactly as it was when we recorded it. I'm sure he'll be pleased with the audience reaction. We've always joked that we'd do a tour in Las Vegas one day. Maybe now we can get him to come out on stage," said Tracy.

According to him, Hardy showed an exceptional talent for rapping.

"Tom only had a rhythmic matrix to help him keep the tempo. He had to rap everything in one go. The production was completely raw," he recalled.

Their work did not go unnoticed. After recording demos, they were offered a record deal, but Hardy's agent advised the young actor to focus on film instead of music. This decision proved to be a turning point in his career.

However, the love for music never disappeared. Hardy now also works under the pseudonym Frankie Pulitzer, and in September, together with hip-hop supergroup Czarface, he will release the album “Czarface Meets Frankie Pulitzer”. The release also features guests from Wu-Tang Clan's Method Man, as well as Busta Rhymes, which will officially expand the actor's artistic biography to the music scene.