Tom Hardy Launches Rap Career With Debut Album as Frankie Pulitzer

Tom Hardy has released his debut rap album under the name Frankie Pulitzer, teaming up with hip-hop collective Czarface for Czarface Meets Frankie Pulitzer.

The 15-track album was released on 28 August and includes collaborations with Busta Rhymes, Method Man and EL-P. It also marks the latest chapter in a musical interest Hardy has pursued since his teenage years.

Photo – Instagram/@Tom Hardy

Hardy began recording rap music in the 1990s with producer Edward Tracy. Some of their early recordings later appeared online, giving fans an insight into a side of Hardy’s creative life that had remained largely separate from his acting career.

His association with Czarface began years before the album’s release. Hardy collaborated with the group in 2021 and later appeared on “Knull & Void”, a track connected to Venom: The Last Dance. The partnership eventually developed into a full album.

Photo – Instagram/@Tom Hardy

Hardy’s acting career is also referenced throughout the project. On “Raw Forever”, which features Busta Rhymes, he draws on several films and comic-book characters, including his own work in the Marvel universe.

He also returns to one of his most recognisable roles on “Grim-Visaged War”. The track features Hardy using the voice he created for Bane in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises. He combines the character’s distinctive delivery with lines from Shakespeare’s Richard III.

The album does not shy away from Hardy’s sense of humour. “Mad Technology”, featuring Method Man, includes a crude reference to actor Kathy Bates alongside references to Stephen King’s Misery.

Photo – Instagram/@Tom Hardy

Czarface’s involvement gives the project a clear connection to underground hip-hop. The group, formed by rapper-producer 7L, rapper Esoteric and Wu-Tang Clan member Inspectah Deck, is known for its comic-book references and densely written tracks. That approach fits naturally with Hardy’s own interest in film, comics and character-driven storytelling.

For Hardy, however, music is not a new experiment. His early recordings predate the fame that came with films including Inception, The Dark Knight Rises, Mad Max: Fury Road and the Venom franchise.

The release of Czarface Meets Frankie Pulitzer simply puts a much larger audience in front of a part of Hardy’s creative life that has existed for years. This time, he is not appearing as a film character. He is releasing music under his own rap alias.