Listen to Tom Hardy’s mixtape
Falling on Your Arse in 1999 was recorded in 1999.
Before Tom Hardy was Tom Hardy, actor, he was Tommy No. 1, rapper. And though the world has known since an interview in 2011 that he'd previously recorded "loads of stuff" from his music days - which began when he was around 14 - no such stuff has surfaced, until now. Screenwriter Ed Tracy, formerly known as Eddie Too Tall, shared the duo's collaborative mixtape,
Falling on Your Arse in 1999, on Bandcamp earlier today. It's 18 tracks long.
Complex tracked down Eddie Too Tall, who's since gone on to win a BAFTA for his comedy Fonejacker, and he had nothing but fond memories of working with Tommy.
"All the vocals were recorded on a handheld tape dictaphone. No overdubs or editing. Tom had a click track for timing but that was it, he had to get it in one take. Raw production techniques!" he told Complex. "I think we inspired each other to make stuff. Back then we were offered a record deal on the basis of this album, but Tom's agent said 'no don't do music, do acting.' Terrible advice! Look where he is now?!"
The two actually have worked together since putting away their larger music dreams, on BBC Three's and Too Tall's Sticky (Too Tall is the name of Tracy's production company). And Tracy hasn't given up production altogether yet - he's working with a U.K. artist formerly known as Gatsby (now Gats Bigga Vel).
Listen to the full mixtape below.