Thee Tom Hardy

“Never judge a book by its cover.” It is a phrase that has been hammered into everyone’s heads, and Thee Tom Hardy is the definition -- bringing a refreshing sound to hip-hop that the industry has been craving. Born Thomas Hardison on April 8, 1989 in Durham, NC, this southern native inherited a passion for music through his father who toured as a drummer and sometimes backed great musicians such as Solomon Burke and Clifford Curry in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. Constantly being surrounded by a melting pot of musical genres and non-stop tunes, it was inevitable that Hardy would become intoxicated by a natural love for the essence of music. It wasn’t until his junior year at Jordan High School that Hardy realized his potential in the world of hip- hop. After initially entering a Slam Poetry contest in Chapel Hill just to impress his pretty English teacher, Hardy ended up electrifying the audience in his first appearance on stage and won second place. It was then that he realized his instinctive talent and decided to focus on creating music. Collaborating with the Band Geeks, a group of four of his former band mates from school, Hardy and his beat team went to work on creating a sound all their own in the basement of one of the members, Brad Brown. Constantly working on his craft, Hardy got the chance of a lifetime when Band Geek's member Lance "Great" Scott was enrolled in the hip-hop class of Grammy-Award winning producer, 9th Wonder at North Carolina Central University. Instinctually, Hardy decided to skip his math class one day and sit in on the class. With a “go hard or go home” mentality, Hardy introduced himself and immediately asked to perform. Amused but complimented by his eagerness, 9th gave Hardy the opportunity to come down to the studio to spit his lyrical finesse. 9th Wonder immediately saw the potential in Hardy’s distinctive flow and allowed him in the studio to master his craft. After a year of constant improvements, Hardy was ready to take that next step. Tom is now signed to 9th Wonder’s roster of young, fresh talent on his “It's A Wonderful World Music Group/The Academy” label. “Tom’s part in this movement is larger than life,” says 9th. “Tom is in this game to carve out a very unique and identifiable style that people of all ages & races can relate to in some way. "With influences such as OutKast, the Dungeon Family, A Tribe Called Quest, Little Brother, UGK and DJ Quik, Hardy’s sound is a witty and mature level of lyricism for a broad audience of listeners. Hardy is currently working on “The Hardy Boy Mystery Mixtape: Curse of Thee Green Faceded” hosted by Don Cannon and 9th Wonder, which promises to be a blend of sarcastic conversation and mind blowing word play. As time progresses, Hardy intends to focus on making music that people can enjoy while turning the music industry upside down, opening doors for others who may be the least expected on site. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.