The fifth installment in the Fast & Furious film franchise is set in Brazil, which provides the reasoning behind this soundtrack album full of reggaeton and rhythmic Latin tracks.
Don Omar and
Ludacris appear in the movie, alongside stars Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, so it's only natural that the rappers also contribute music, including
Omar's "How We Roll [Fast Five Remix]," featuring
Busta Rhymes, Reek da Villian, and
J-Doe, and
Ludacris' "Furiously Dangerous" featuring
Slaughterhouse and Claret Jai. But most of the music is provided by reggaeton acts like
Marcelo D2. Score composer
Brian Tyler chips in with three appropriately driven tracks, "Assembling the Team," "Mad Skills," and "Fast Five Suite." The goal here is to accompany a picture that, as usual, is packed with driving sequences involving flashy cars, beautiful, scantily clad women, and muscled men. That goal is accomplished with this beat-heavy music and the gruff, aggressive Latin rapping. ~ William Ruhlmann