Tom Hardy has a secret 90s rap album - and it's actually good
Before he was Bane or Mad Max, he was Tommy No 1, a wannabe rapper with a heart of gold and a slight Jamaican accent.
Friday 19 January 2018 13:11, UK
A 1999 unreleased rap album by Hollywood actor Tom Hardy has been unearthed, to the delight of fans and the internet in general.
Falling On Your Arse is more of a mixtape than an album, featuring pop culture samples from The Godfather to War Of The Worlds.
It is a collaboration between Hardy and writer and director Edward Tracy - back then known by their tough street names Tommy No 1 (no one) and Eddie Too Tall.
Hardy's die-hard fans will not be entirely surprised, since the actor has alluded to his past as a wannabe rapper in interviews before.
What is surprising, is that the album is actually good.
In opening track We Makes The Beats, Hardy raps in a slightly disturbing rude-boy style - paving the way for what would be his weird accent in The Dark Knight Rises.
Skipping through the rest of the album in search of a beat with Hardy rapping as Bane was unfortunately unsuccessful.
But you do get him doing three different voices in a track subtly titled Dr Livingstoned, in which actor re-enacts the famous moment when explorer Henry Morton Stanley found Dr Livingstone in the jungle.
But Tommy No 1 was probably not a fan of the famed doctor, and the song appears to have an environmental and animal rights angle against explorers in general.
If this isn't diverse enough, you also have the swear-filled, 1950s-style a cappella tune Rotten C***suckers Ball and two tracks where Hardy talks about being a married bloke very much in love with his wife while resisting his urge to get heavily drunk.
And, alas, rude boy Tommy also speaks French.
The third track, Treason, opens in true Parisien ghetto style - to a tale of getting rich or die trying.
But what this mixed bunch all have in common is exceptionally high production values for what seems to be an amateur mixtape, with Hardy showing charisma and talent.
Hardy is one of the best actors in Hollywood, so there is no hope of a career change but, if anyone ever decides to give 8 Mile another go, reach out to Tommy No 1 - he's someone now.