You’ve seen him as Bane, you’ve seen him as Mad Max and you’ve seen him as both Kray twins, but there’s one role that even Tom Hardy’s most loyal devotees might not realise he’s attempted… amateur rapper.
Yes, back in 1999, two years before making his big-screen debut, Tom made a go of it as a rapper, under the moniker Tommy No. 1.
His attempts have laid dormant for almost 20 years, but his 18-track mixtape ‘Falling On Your Arse In 1999’ has now been published online.
Ed Tracy - who produced the track under the name Eddie Too Tall - posted the tracks on BandCamp, along with the message: “Made in a bedroom 1999 these mixtapes were never really finished. Lyrics written and performed by Tom Hardy. Music written and produced by Ed Tracy.”
The tracks feature samples of jazz, blues music and film soundtracks interspersed with Tom’s vocals, with titles including ‘Bring The F_king Noise’, ‘Dr Livingstoned’, ‘Rotton Cocksuckers Ball’ and our personal favourite, ‘Sit Your Arse Down’.
Do you erm… do you wanna take a listen…?
Tom recorded the demos in 1999 a year after winning the ‘Find Me A Supermodel’ competition on ‘The Big Breakfast’. This was the same year he joined Drama Centre London, which he left early after landing his first big role.
Since then he’s gone on to become one of the UK’s most recognisable acting talents, winning his first Academy Award nomination in 2016 for his performance opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in ‘The Revenant’.