Fans of Guy Ritchie‘s “MobLand” are anxiously anticipating the return of Tom Hardy‘s Harry Da Souza, fixer for the Harrigan crime family.
First, however, comes the opportunity to meet another of Hardy’s creations: his musical alter ego, rapper Frankie Pulitzer, who’s just released his debut album.
‘Czarface Meets Frankie Pulitzer’
Featuring 15 tracks, Hardy’s “Czarface Meets Frankie Pulitzer” was created with the assistance of hip-hop supergroup Czarface, formed in 2013 by rap duo 7L & Esoteric, and Inspectah Deck from the Wu-Tang Clan.
Hardy is joined by special guests Method Man, EL-P and Busta Rhymes, who collaborates with Hardy on the track “Raw Forever.”
For listeners of that particular track, the references fly fast and furious, with Hardy citing Nicolas Cage in Martin Scorsese‘s “Bringing Out the Dead,” Willem Dafoe’s “Spider-Man” villain Green Goblin, and Fantastic Four nemesis Doctor Doom.
The Return of Bane
As a bonus, one of the actor’s most distinctive characters makes an appearance in a track titled “Grim-Visaged War.”
At one point in the song, Hardy can be heard reciting William Shakespeare’s iconic “now is the winter of our discontent” speech from “Richard III” while resurrecting the voice of Bane from “The Dark Knight Rises.”
At another point in the album, Hardy sounds a lot like his “Venom” character Eddie Brock when he raps: “I eat people, break ribs, throw bodies off the Golden Gate bridge / And I get it how I live like a cannibal / I talk sick, toxic, highly flammable.”
A Nod to Stephen King
Another of the album’s tracks is “Mad Technology, in which Hardy is joined by Method Man.
That track features Hardy making a variety of references to Stephen King, including a NSFW lyric about Kathy Bates in “Misery” and the killer dog from “Cujo.”
Other collaborators featured on “Czarface Meets Frankie Pulitzer” include Run the Jewels’s LP (heard on “Dragon Cannon”) and Kendra Morris (“Frankie”).
He’s Been Rapping for Years
While those who only know Hardy as an actor may be surprised by his latest venture, he’s actually been involved with rap music for many years.
His Frankie Pulitzer persona has appeared on previous Czarface projects, and even issued a few standalone singles over the years.
In fact, it was way back in 1999 that Hardy issued his first mixtape, “Falling On Your Arse,” which resurfaced on Reddit in 2018. Hardy was then calling himself Tommy No. 1.
In a 2011 interview with BBC, Hardy discussed his earlier efforts in the world of hip-hop.
“I started out rapping when I was 14 or 15,” he recalled.
“Because I come from a nice middle-class neighborhood it was a very hard sell. And I wasn’t very good!” he admitted, although he was good enough to get signed to a record deal.
“I used to be with the guy who managed Leela James and Lauren Hill, Pras, the Fugees and all that. I worked out with [Grammy-winning producers] Warren Riker and Gordon Williams. I’ve recorded loads of stuff but it’s never been released,” he added.
“I’ve got albums, man,” Hardy revealed. “My best friend Peanut, he grew up in the south Bronx. He’s a very good MC and we still play. It’ll come out in a film one day, it’ll come out in a character somewhere.”
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Tom Hardy Unveils Debut Album As Rap Alter Ego Frankie Pulitzer — Featuring the Return of Bane