Tom Hardy has surprised fans with a new creative venture, releasing a full-length rap album under his musical alias Frankie Pulitzer.

Titled “Czarface Meets Frankie Pulitzer”, the 15-track collaborative album sees Hardy team up with underground hip-hop group Czarface, comprising 7L & Esoteric and Wu-Tang Clan member Inspectah Deck. The album was released on August 28 through Czarface’s Silver Age label.

The project features guest appearances from Busta Rhymes, Method Man, El-P and Kendra Morris, while Hardy contributes across the album as Frankie Pulitzer.

For listeners familiar with Hardy’s film career, the album is packed with references to cinema, comics and literature.

On “Raw Forever”, which features Busta Rhymes, Hardy references Martin Scorsese’s “Bringing Out the Dead”, Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin from “Spider-Man”, Marvel villain Doctor Doom, DC Comics character Sergeant Rock and Sidney Lumet’s “Dog Day Afternoon”.

Another track, “Grim-Visaged War”, takes an unexpected literary turn, with Hardy reciting a monologue from William Shakespeare’s “Richard III” in a voice reminiscent of his Bane character from “The Dark Knight Rises”.

The album also contains references to Stephen King’s works. On “Mad Technology”, Hardy mentions “Cujo” and “Misery”, with the latter leading into an explicit reference to actress Kathy Bates, who starred in the film adaptation of King’s “Misery”.

Hardy’s musical ambitions, however, predate his Hollywood career. He explored rap as a teenager and recorded an 18-track mixtape titled “Falling On Your Arse” in 1999, although the project was never officially released.

His association with Czarface also began before the new album. Hardy previously appeared as Frankie Pulitzer on the group’s 2021 EP “Good Guys, Bad Guys”, with one of the collaborations later appearing on the soundtrack to “Venom: Let There Be Carnage”.

“Czarface Meets Frankie Pulitzer” marks Hardy’s most substantial musical release to date, bringing together his interest in hip-hop with Czarface’s comic-book-inspired aesthetic.

The album comprises 15 tracks, including “Brothers Grimm”, “All It Takes Is One Bad Day”, “Raw Forever”, “Grim-Visaged War”, “Mad Technology”, “Dragon Canon”, “Frankie” and “Intruder...Seems Curious”.

Source: Hollywood Reporter