Vin Diesel graces the cover of the latest edition of Billboard, discussing his role in bringing Latin reggaetón music into “The Fast Saga” with soundtrack for the just-released “F9”.
In the feature, Diesel is joined by musicians Anitta and Nicky Jams, whose tracks appear on the “F9” soundtrack.
“I just want to have the freedom to make music and do it without any restrictions. And sometimes do things that, quite frankly, I should not do. Sometimes I’ll think, ‘What in the f**king world were you thinking doing this song?’ But that’s part of the statement,” said Diesel.
According to Nicky Jam, showcasing reggaetón in such a huge movie is bound to make an impact. “A mainstream movie, a global movie, believes in our music?” he said. “It automatically puts us under the spotlight. Many Latinos think it’s normal for us to be in Hollywood. This is not normal, bro. You don’t understand how big this is.”
Anitta also weighed in, explaining the inspiration behind her “F9” track “Furiosa”. “They told me the concept was that of a strong, powerful, feminine message that spoke about strength and aggression in a positive way, and very closely related to the movie,” she said. “And I loved it because it’s very me. You can feel the vibes of the speed, the racing, the acceleration of the cars.”
Diesel also shared his thoughts on why “F9″ and reggaetón are such an ideal combination. “I don’t think Hollywood was able to really assess how strong that Latin thirst for a film like this was, because they don’t go into the barrios of Puerto Rico,” he said. “They don’t reach out in the same way. But that has always been such a pure part of this franchise.”
Accompanying the interview are a series of photos from photographer Austin Hargrave:
