Whether you’re a fan of the Fast and Furious movie franchise or not, you likely have at least one hit song from the franchise’s more than 20-year history on your playlist. Ranging from hip-hop and pop to reggaeton and rock, Fast Saga’s music is simultaneously eclectic and instantly iconic. Songs like Ludacris’ “Act a Fool” have been nominated for Grammys, while Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s emotional tribute to Paul Walker, “See You Again,” is the sixth most-viewed music video of all time on YouTube. which contains about six billion views.
The latest film in the franchise, “Fast X,” hits theaters May 19, and the powers that be behind the film enlisted some of the music’s heavy hitters for its lead song, “Angel Pt. 1”: NLE Choppa, BTS K Jimin, Muni Long, JVKE, and Kodak Black. Choppa is the youngest performer on the track at only 20 years old (he wasn’t even born when Saga’s first film, “The Fast and the Furious,” premiered in 2001), and yet the rising star from Memphis. The hip-hop star, TN, has already crossed 5.5 billion global streams with his music just five years after emerging on the stage.
Choppa uniquely understands what makes a Fast & Furious song a Fast-and-Furious hit. His track “Speed It Up” appeared on the “F9” soundtrack in 2021, and now “Angel Pt. 1” marks two important milestones for the rapper: It’s the first time his song has been featured on the main soundtrack for Fast & Furious. was chosen as a single. film, and it allowed him to work with K-pop royalty: BTS’ Jimin. “I knew what I was doing was going to be something big, but sometimes God really doesn’t tell you how big it’s going to be,” Choppa told POPSUGAR about this pivotal moment in his career. “
Next, read what NLE Choppa had to say about “Angel Pt. 1,” including the qualities he thinks make the song fast and furious and what it was like making a song with Jimin.
POPSUGAR: What did the Fast & Furious franchise mean to you growing up?
NLE Choppa: I was definitely a big fan. “Fast and Furious” was one of those movies that I grew up watching, so to be a part of this series – I’ve been a part of it in the past. , , But a major single goes around it, and to be able to see something since you’re a kid and have it come to your doorstep when you’re a grown up – it’s a way God predicts your future for you. Is.
PS: As someone with many songs to contribute to the Fast saga, what qualities make a Fast & Furious song a Fast & Furious song?
Choppa: I think every song I hear from Fast & Furious — that they’ve really been behind, that they’ve really stood up — is a song that represents triumph, the underdog in the fight. It represents something that is motivating or something that is under control. And those are the best songs. It gives you an opportunity to be inspired. It gives you the opportunity to go to the gym. This gives you an opportunity if the rent is due. you feel it. And that’s what makes a great song — when people can connect to it on every level.
To be able to work with just one person from BTS — on the Fast & Furious soundtrack, something so huge — I think it’s a beautiful thing, and it’s one of the things I prayed for. So, every time you hear BTS in my mouth or Jimin in my mouth, there will be a thank you behind it.
PS: “Angel Pt. 1” sees you collaborating with Jimin from BTS, Muni Long, JVKE and Kodak Black. While response to the song has been overwhelmingly positive, what’s your message to people who view this lineup as “random”?
Choppa: To be honest, I feel like it’s a random selection of who’s on the song. But if you take out every name on this song – like if you take out my name, if you take out Kodak, you take out Jimin, Muni Long – and you release it as “Angel” Do it and let it out, people will listen to it and realize that everyone played a part and contributed on this song and made a great song. Sometimes you get a song with five strong actors and it sounds like a mashup, but in this song everyone had a role. It’s like a basketball team: Everyone plays it cool and makes the most beautiful song we can make.
PS: You have 18 million followers across your social media accounts and billions of streams, but “Angel Part 1” is introducing you to an equally passionate fan base in the BTS Army. How has Jimin fans been reacting to “Angel Part 1”?
Choppa: They’ve been loving it, and one of the things I emphasize is how grateful I am to be a part of it. I think a lot of hip-hop artists don’t realize how beautiful the K-pop scene is, but I’m one of the few who is grateful for it. I’ve really wanted to work with BTS for a while and to be able to work with just one person from BTS – on the Fast & Furious soundtrack, something so big – I think it’s a beautiful thing, and it It’s one of the things I prayed for. So, every time you hear BTS in my mouth or Jimin in my mouth, there will be a thank you behind it, because I’m grateful to know how big that scene is and grateful to know how much of their K- Big impact. Pop is normal.
PS: How is making a song for a big franchise like Fast & Furious different from making your own music for your albums?
Choppa: Just knowing how conscious you have to be of the purity of the song – not only the kind of artist you are as a person but also knowing that the whole world is going to hear it. Therefore, [I asked myself,] “What about NLE Choppa is the lesson you want the world to learn from this song?” and that was just [that] I could step up to the plate and do a song on that caliber that could be a hit with everyone and relate to the whole world. My poetry was mainly talking to people who are family oriented, talking to people who want to go through victory, talking to people who put God first in their life, and just There are things of that nature. So, just knowing that the whole world is going to hear this, and I just wanted to talk to them.
PS: What’s your favorite Fast & Furious song (besides your own)?
Choppa: “See you later,” of course. You know, it’s one of the biggest hip-hop songs of all time in the world. , , That says a lot. , , , At the end of the day, “See You Again” has always had its own weight. But I think that was the goal with Fast & Furious this year, to try. , , Create something that gives you that same feeling of “See You Again” and I think they accomplished that.
PS: What was it like shooting the music video for “Angel Part 1”?
Choppa: To be honest, this is one of the best music videos I have ever made. Everyone has their moment of stardom. Whatever part you look at, you see the star in it, you see the star in the person. And it made this song collectively great, like everyone could be a star on the song, and everyone was a star.
PS: Are you excited to hear “Angel Pt. 1” on the big screen for the first time at the premiere of “Fast X”?
Choppa: I’m really trying to do something where I get to take a lot of the kids to the movies, because I work with the schools in my town and stuff. Take these kids who deserve it to see a movie with me – that would be dope.
“Angel Pt. 1” is streaming now on all major streamers, and you can hear it in theaters when “Fast X” premieres on May 19. NLE Choppa’s new album, “Cottonwood 2” is also now streaming on all major streamers.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Image source: YouTube user NLE Choppa