This weekend sees the release of The Fast & Furious 9: The Fast Saga into theatres and its accompanying soundtrack. Yes the 9th film in the Fast & Furious series which first started in 2001 with the release The Fast & The Furious and primarily featured on street racing. I don't think anyone back then would've told you that the film would be the start of a franchise still going strong 20 years later. And of course every film in the franchise has an accompanying soundtrack which gives u 20 years of fast & furious music to rank and review. So here is our definitive ranking of the various soundtracks for the films in the Fast & Furious franchise.
#10: Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
Ummm, lets just act like this one didn't happen... Does it even really count?
#9: Fast Five (2011)
This soundtrack is bringing up the rear due to a variety of factors. First off there aren't any names on it that jump out at you (aside from Busta Rhymes) and there wasn't a super strong single from it. The song that's most representative of the project is "Danza Kuduro" by Don Omar which reflects the main location for the movie, Rio de Janeiro. To its credit this was the film that definitely let us know things were going to get crazier as we progressed with these movies.
#8: The Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)
While the early F&F soundtracks were mostly hip-hop based with some rock influences in the first two movies this one marked the first time we would see how diverse the music would get as the franchise moved to Tokyo. While still primarily hip-hop based due to the likes of N.E.R.D. and Most Def the international flavor is brought by Don Omar's first franchise contribution and probably the most known song from the film by the Teriyaki Boyz. It's not necessarily a bad compilation, there are just better hence why it's only #8 for us.
#7: Fast & Furious (2009)
You could low-key call this one the Pitbull & Neptunes soundtrack. The Neptunes handled the majority of the production and Pitbull makes features on several of the songs. This was certainly the film that helped get the franchise to where it is today in bringing back the original characters and creating possibilities for stories. Appearances on the soundtrack were made by Busta Rhymes, Lil Jon, M.I.A., Robin Thicke and more.
#6: The Fate of The Furious (2017)
Up until the new release this had been the latest installment in the franchise and the first without Paul Walker. It held the title of the highest grossing worldwide opening of all time for a year until the release of Avengers: Infinity War in 2018. The soundtrack certainly brought in some heavyweights in the likes of Wiz Khalifa returning, Lil Uzi Vert, 2 Chainz, Travis Scott, PnB Rock, Post Malone, Kevin Gates and Lil Yachty. That's only naming about half the artists on the soundtrack. A total of six singles were released and they just all fit along nicely with the movie. There is no single that stands out more so than any of the others which speaks to the soundtrack's strength. But if you forces us to pick one "Candy Paint" from Post Malone would probably be that song.
#5: The Fast & Furious 9: The Fast Saga (2021)
It's a bit hard to place this one as it is just being released and we haven't been able to fully consume it yet or watch the movie. The two songs we've gotten previously fit in with the vibes of the franchise and has us excited. So far everything looks positive and the artist list is jam packed once again. Appearances will be made from Pop Smoke, A$AP Rocky, Juicy J, Kevin Gates, Anitta, Rico Nasty and Jack Harlow just to name a few. It certainly continues the trend of featuring the who's who in the current hip-hop scene that these soundtracks primarily represent. So for now this one gets middle of the pack status, I'm sure if we we're to take a look back at the project later on down the road that position might change.
#4: Fast & Furious 6 (2013)
This entry on the list is a good combination of electronic and hip-hop tracks which is what primarily lands it at this position. Artists who made appearances include deamau5, Cypress Hill, T.I., Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz and Wiz Khalifa. Don Omar makes his 4th and final contribution to a franchise soundtrack. He's got at least one song on the soundtrack for each movie from film #3 to film #6. Ludacris also makes a return to the soundtrack linking with Usher & David Guetta.
#3: The Fast & The Furious (2001)
The film that started it all. Opinions on this soundtrack will really depend on how you feel about one artist, Ja Rule. He's got several entries on this soundtrack but that just speaks to his prominence as an artist in the late 90s and early 2000s. Many like to get selective amnesia around Ja Rule but the man has hits, one being "Put It On Me Remix" featuring Lil Mo & Vita which is a standout on the soundtrack. Another standout is the Urban assault Vehicle remix of "Rollin" from Limp Bizkit which features DMX, Method Man & Redman. There was a secondary soundtrack released with this film called More Fast & Furious but that was more alternative metal based so we're not really concerned with that one.
#2: 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)
The original sequel in the franchise. Simply stated this soundtrack is everything you'd expect from a 2003 hip-hop soundtrack with appearances from the likes of Trick Daddy, Chingy, Shawnna, Lil Flip and Joe Budden. Ludacris joins the franchise as a actor and also contributes to the soundtrack for the first time with its standout "Act A Fool." It just doesn't get much better than peak 2000s Ludacris.
#1: Furious 7 (2015)
In full transparency we tried to find a reason not to have this one at the top spot but simply couldn't find a legit one. It has it all, star power, a solid film behind it, and a mega single tied to an emotional moment. That main song is too much of a force to ignore. Of course we're talking about the tribute to Paul Walker in "See You Again." It reached #1 in fourteen countries including here in New Zealand. But aside from that the other songs were bangers as well with tracks from Sevyn Streeter, Kevin Gates, Flo Rida and Skylar Grey. It definitely represents a good mix of sounds and vibes of the film and checked off every box you could ask for.
So there you have it, our ranking of the soundtracks from the films of the Fast & Furious franchise. Let us know how you would rank things and check out all the best songs from the soundtracks along with other movie greats in our Movie Night playlist below.
