Actor Tom Hardy has unveiled a surprising career pivot after releasing a collaborative rap album under a masked pseudonym alongside members of hip-hop group Czarface.
The 48-year-old star released the project on Friday under the alias Frankie Pulitzer, wearing a full face cover in promotional materials and music videos to hide his identity.
The collaborative album, titled Czarface Meets Frankie Pulitzer, saw Hardy team up with hip-hop supergroup Czarface. The group is comprised of Wu-Tang Clan member Inspectah Deck and rap duo 7L & Esoteric.
Hardy is best known for his Hollywood acting career, including starring roles in films such as Venom, Inception, and The Dark Knight Rises. Czarface is an underground hip-hop group formed in 2013, known for its comic book themes and boom-bap production style.
A music video for the group's single, titled Mad Technology, was also released on Friday. The video features Hardy performing in his mask alongside Czarface, with Wu-Tang Clan member Method Man making an appearance in the clip.
In his verse on Mad Technology, Hardy makes several pop culture references, including nods to horror author Stephen King and a direct jab at Oscar-winning actress Kathy Bates.
Hardy raps: "You s***-for-brain no-name lame, that bites like Cujo / I’d rather masturbate to Kathy Bates than hear you flow / And you know that Misery, it loves company."
The lyrics reference King's classic horror novels Cujo and Misery. Bates starred in the 1990 film adaptation of Misery, winning an Academy Award for her performance as obsessed fan Annie Wilkes.
Film and comic book references
The actor touches on additional cinematic influences on the album track Raw Forever, where he references director Martin Scorsese's 1999 drama film Bringing Out the Dead.
Hardy raps on the track: "I’m Bringing Out the Dead like a paramedic out the Cage, directed by Marty / Frank Pierce the gang’s here welcome to the party / I be somewhat of a scientist like Willem Dafoe / If you know then you know / Goblin up crumbs / Hit ’em with the fly kill ’em with the low / Profile, no smile, exile the old style / So vile, exhale the smoke cloud, blow trial / Dog Day Afternoon / When I talk Sgt. Rock on the block with the Glock aftershock from the boom."
The verse highlights Nicolas Cage's portrayal of paramedic Frank Pierce in Scorsese's film, Willem Dafoe's role as Green Goblin in the 2002 Spider-Man movie, and Al Pacino's 1975 crime drama Dog Day Afternoon.
Hardy completes his verse on the track by weaving in further references to comic book supervillains and heroes.
Hardy raps: "Rip you out your costume / Stuff you in the smallest locker, lock you in the locker room / Doctor Doom how I’m the Victor the Scripture."
Musical background and fan reactions
This is not the first time Hardy has explored rap music. The actor previously portrayed a rapper in the 1999 short film Get A Grip and rapped as a teenager during the 1990s.
Hardy has recorded music under multiple aliases in recent years, including Frankie Pulitzer and Face Puller. Czarface first began featuring an anonymous guest rapper named Frankie Pulitzer around 2021 before officially unveiling Hardy's identity on Friday.
The revelation of Hardy's hidden music career generated significant discussion online, particularly among fans on Reddit's The Big Picture subreddit.
Reacting to the news, one Reddit user commented: "All of his secret side quests are incredible."
Another commenter on the forum recalled Hardy's earlier online music uploads, writing: "he used to have songs on soundcloud, remember one being pretty good but every single one was in the style of another rapper he had an eminem style song but mainly new york - no grime or garage weirdly."
The album Czarface Meets Frankie Pulitzer is available now across all major music streaming platforms.
