Artist Partner Group And Universal Pictures To Release Fast X In Conjunction With Universal Music Group: Fast and Furious fans have a lot to look forward to as the release of the ninth film in the series, Fast X, approaches. The latest announcement from Artist Partner Group (APG), in partnership with Universal Pictures and Universal Music Group (UMG), is the release of the original motion picture soundtrack for the film, set to hit theaters globally on May 19, 2023.
What makes this soundtrack particularly exciting is its international flavor, featuring a lineup of global artists. Daddy Yankee, the Puerto Rican rapper and songwriter, is among the artists who will be featured in the soundtrack. Yankee has collaborated with Myke Towers, also a Puerto Rican rapper and songwriter, for a remix of his hit song from 2010, “Gasolina”. The track merges Yankee’s reggaetón sound with the high-energy Brazilian funk and Colombian elements for which Towers is known. Fans can listen to the new version of the song and watch the lyric video to get a taste of what’s to come. The full lineup of featured artists is set to be announced in the coming weeks.
The first taste of new music from Fast X was released during Super Bowl Sunday in February 2023. The song, titled “Let’s Ride” by YG, Lambo4oe, and Ty Dolla $ign, features an interpolation of Notorious B.I.G.’s “Notorious Thugs.” The song was quickly added to more than 25 “New Music Fridays” playlists and was among the top 10 songs on Spotify’s influential “Rap Caviar” playlist.
This isn’t the first time APG has partnered with Universal Pictures and UMG for a Fast and Furious project. In December 2022, the company released The Fast & Furious: Drift Tape (Phonk Vol 1), a fan-first mixtape celebrating the emerging music genre of Drift Phonk to support the film’s release. The project featured Twisted’s breakout smash hit, “Worth Nothing”, which has since amassed over 3.8 billion global streams. The mixtape also included collaborations from Phonk music’s biggest artists, such as Kordhell, SCARLXRD, DVRST, Sadfriendd, Zen/it, and Grammy-nominated rapper Juicy J.
Mike Caren, founder and CEO at Artist Partner/Publishing Group, expressed excitement about the partnership with Universal Pictures and UMG. “Our Phonk Drift Tape was a lot of fun, and now we’re full steam ahead on rolling out global plans for our Soundtrack featuring some really incredible artists,” said Caren.
The Fast and Furious franchise has been hugely successful, grossing over $6 billion worldwide. The soundtracks from previous films have been streamed over 22.5 billion times worldwide. Fans can expect nothing less than an epic soundtrack to accompany the latest film in the series, Fast X, which is set to hit theaters on May 19, 2023.