Oscar-nominated actor Tom Hardy revealed a few years ago that before he made it in movies, he was an aspiring rapper — he even had a record deal, but nothing was ever released. Until now.

Edward Tracy, a TV writer and director, got his hands on a Tom Hardy mixtape from 1999 and has posted it on Bandcamp. Thus far, the former rapper has not responded to Pitchfork’s request for comment.

Beastie Boys memoir "finally" coming out this fall

Five years ago, the surviving members of the Beastie Boys signed a deal to write a memoir that was originally supposed to come out in 2015. Now, Mike D says the book is "finally" going to come out this fall.

"We're actually going to finish it, and it's going to come out finally," Mike D said in a Beats 1 interview. "Like many things we embark on, there are many false starts and, honestly, directions we went in that we realized were not the directions we should be going in, but it's gonna be coming out in the fall of this year." (Billboard)

U2 release politically-charged video

U2 have released a new video for their Songs of Experience track "Get Out of Your Own Way," an animated film "developed by the Broken Fingaz Crew, an Israeli graffiti collective," reports Rolling Stone, which describes the video:

The imagery in the video alternates between images of anguish - a woman crying, a skull enveloped by flames — and direct political references: Ku Klux Klan members march across the screen, torches in hand, while President Trump looks on from the Oval Office. In the background, U2 pair a call to action with shiny, arena-ready post-punk.

Dolly Parton's in the Guinness Book

Congratulations to Dolly Parton, who just made the Guinness Book of World Records. Her feats are related to the country charts, where she's officially charted more hits than any other female artist (107) and done so in more different decades — six. Parton says she's "humbled" and "blessed" by the recognition of her remarkable career. (Billboard)

JT preps for MPLS

Super Bowl halftime sponsor Pepsi is priming the pump with a series of videos spotlighting Justin Timberlake’s preparations for the biggest live music performance of the year. Not that Timberlake is spilling many secrets, yet, about what's in store: "For 12 or 13 minutes, we'll have a really good time," he says. (Billboard)