Wiz Khalifa video tops a billion views

“See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth is the first rap song to hit a billion views on YouTube. The song, which featured on the Furious 7 soundtrack and was dedicated to the late Paul Walker, celebrated the milestone just six months after it was posted on the video-sharing website.

The success of See You Again is indicative of a broader trend: we’re all watching more videos than ever before, and the rate at which clips become successful is accelerating.

Accomplishing that in just 184 days, “See You Again” is the second-fastest video to hit 1 billion in YouTube history, the first being Psy’s viral smash “Gangnam Style”, which did it in 160 days in 2012.

“For ten years, the Billion View Club was one of the most exclusive circles on YouTube, but in 2015, things changed”, writes YouTube’s Kevin Allocca. Now, it’s joined an elite club: On Friday, “See You Again” passed the billion-view mark on YouTube.

The video, released in April, successfully surpassed OneRepublic’s “Counting Stars” this week to nab the 10th spot behind Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” music video.