Wiz Khalifa has opened up about his tribute song for Paul Walker in the latest Fast and Furious film, saying it “connects with so many people”.
His song See You Again was used in the Furious 7 soundtrack , reportedly as Paul is seen driving off into the distance with the hit playing in the background.
The poignant tune, which features Charlie Puth on vocals, has since become the quickest-selling single of the year.
In an interview with BET, Wiz said of its growing success: “The fact that it connects with so many people, that’s what is really, really important for me so I’m f**king with it.”
He explained vocalist Charlie initially wrote the lyrics about a friend who died in a car crash, and Wiz later took it over.
He told the site: “My whole objective [when writing See You Again] was to make something that everybody can connect with. It feels personal, but it’s something that everybody can feel too. It’s not so personal that you’re disconnected to it. Basically, that was my mind frame for it. Think about family in general. Not necessarily my family or someone else’s family that everybody goes through in that situation.”
He added: “I had a lot of good direction from the Fast & Furious people as far as the texture of the song and how they wanted it to feel. What was most important, too, was to make sure that it was a celebration of life. You know, to reflect on things, but also just to celebrate what we’ve been through.”
Paul Walker was killed in a car crash on 30 November 2013 when the Porsche he was travelling in as a passenger hit a tree and caught fire.
The track marks Khalifa’s second appearance at the top of the Official Singles Chart after reaching the summit back in 2012 guesting on Maroon 5’s Payphone.
See You Again also sets a new streaming record, racking up 3.68 million streams in seven days and smashing past Ellie Goulding’s Love Me Like You Do.
The news comes as it was revealed that Fast and Furious 7 has officially become the fastest film to make $1 billion at the box office.
American rapper Wiz Khalifa’s tribute to Fast and Furious actor Paul Walker has become the quickest-selling single of the year.
Paul Walker was killed in a car crash on 30 November 2013 when the Porsche he was travelling in as a passenger hit a tree and caught fire.
The poignant See You Again, which features Charlie Puth on vocals, climbs 21 places this week with combined chart sales of 193,000, overtaking previous fastest-seller Love Me Like You Do by British singer Ellie Goulding from the Fifty Shades of Grey film.
See You Again features on the soundtrack to the seventh instalment of the Fast and Furious series, which was released in UK cinemas at Easter.
It pays tribute to long-serving cast member Walker, who played Brian O’Conner in the smash hit films, and was killed in a car crash in November 2013 while the new movie was being filmed.
The track marks Khalifa’s second appearance at the top of the Official Singles Chart after reaching the summit back in 2012 guesting on Maroon 5’s Payphone.
See You Again also sets a new streaming record, racking up 3.68 million streams in seven days and smashing past Love Me Like You Do.
The news comes as it was revealed that Fast and Furious 7 has officially become the fastest film to make $1 billion at the box office.
The racing sequel – which is the last film in the series to star late actor Paul Walker – has enjoyed a meteoric rise to the top and has now made the massive figure in just 17 days.
Furious 7 becomes the 20th movie to reach the billion dollar mark and it could be well on its way to topping the list. Though with Avatar currently ruling with $2,787,965,087, it’s got a bit of a way to go.
With Fast and Furious 7 currently taking a staggering amount of money at the box office, speculation is mounting as to whether the franchise can churn out an eighth installment.
The success of the current film can be partly ascribed to the fact that it serves as a memorial for the late Paul Walker but it seems likely that there’ll be an appetite for an eighth without the tragic lead actor.
Celebrity fan Ludacris mocked up a Furious 8 logo and posted it to his facebook page with the caption “Yes or no?”
The post had half a million likes in just eleven hours.
Star Vin Diesel has also teased fans with hints at another film.
The 7th installment has surpassed all expectations to be the highest grossing film of 2015 so far.
But after the tear-jerking closure of the seventh film, where the cast bid a moving farewell to Paul Walker, who died in 2013, using CGI and old clips- is there anywhere else for the film to go?
Although it seems like a logical place to call the 14-year-old series a day, studio executives will likely find milking the cash cow another time irresistible .