"Hypnotize" | ||||
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Single by The Notorious B.I.G. | ||||
from the album Life After Death | ||||
Released | March 4, 1997 | |||
Recorded | 1996 | |||
Genre | [1] [2] | |||
Length |
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The Notorious B.I.G. singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Hypnotize" on YouTube |
"Hypnotize" is a single by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G. featuring vocals by Pamela Long, [upper-alpha 1] released as the first single from his album Life After Death on March 4, 1997. The last song released before his death in a drive-by shooting a week later, it was the fifth song by a credited artist to hit number one posthumously, and the first since "(Just Like) Starting Over" by John Lennon in 1980. [5] Rolling Stone ranked the song as number 30 on their list of the "100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time". [1]
Diddy (known then as Puff Daddy) produced "Hypnotize" and sampled Herb Alpert's 1979 hit "Rise" which was written by Andy Armer and Herb's nephew, Randy "Badazz" Alpert. [6] Randy recalled, "I asked Puffy, in 1996 when he first called me concerning using 'Rise' for 'Hypnotize,' why he chose the 'Rise' groove. He told me that in the summer of 1979 when he was I think 10 years old the song was a huge hit everywhere in New York and 'Rise' along with Chic's 'Good Times' were 'the songs' that all the kids were dancing and roller skating to that summer. He had always remembered that summer and that song. When he first played the loop for Biggie, (he said that) Biggie smiled and hugged him." [7]
Randy continued, "Over the years I was approached by Ice Cube, Eazy-E, Vanilla Ice, and maybe another 4–5 artists to use the song and I never said 'yes' until I heard a rough version of Biggie's recording produced by Sean 'Puffy' Combs, D-Dot, and Ron Lawrence. I was sent a cassette from Puffy and when I cranked it up I not only immediately loved it but my gut thought that this could be a number one record once again. The original 'Rise' record climbed the chart all summer and became number one around the end of October; Biggie's version was released and charted its first week at number two and went to number one the second week." [7]
"That was us saying our franchise player, our Michael Jordan, is here, and you other guys gotta top this. We're both from the same hood, and my goal was to give him that king-of-Brooklyn status with that track… That record was more of a statement of where he came from and how high the bar was going to be raised for the rest of the rappers." – Deric 'D-Dot' Angelettie [8]
The melody and phrasing of the chorus is interpolated from a lyrical section of Slick Rick's song "La Di Da Di", and it is also from these lyrics that the title "Hypnotize" is derived. Often misattributed to Lil' Kim, Pamela Long from the group Total sang this part. [6]
In 2013, asked about the lyrics, "Escargot, my car go...", Lil' Cease of Junior M.A.F.I.A. stated, "That's the shit that made B.I.G dope B.I.G used to talk about all the cars but, nigga didn't even know how to drive. He wouldn't dare get in the driver seat." [9]
The song was a hit on U.S. radio before being issued as a single. On its release, "Hypnotize" entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number two, right behind labelmate and co-writer and co-producer Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs ("Can't Nobody Hold Me Down"). When "Hypnotize" reached number one two weeks later, it made The Notorious B.I.G. the fifth artist in Hot 100 history to have a posthumous chart-topper (see List of Billboard Hot 100 chart achievements and milestones ). It also gave back-to-back number-one hits to Combs' Bad Boy Records label. Nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 1998 Grammy Awards, it lost to "Men in Black" by Will Smith. The single reached number 10 in the UK, B.I.G.'s first top 10 hit in that country. Kris Ex of Pitchfork wrote "Big was a master of flow, sounding unforced and unlabored over a bevy of pristine, hi-fidelity maximalist beats that seemed to always bow to his intent." [10]
50 Cent told NME that the song was the one he would want played at his funeral: "I'd just want everyone to have as much of a party as possible." [11]
Billboard and The Guardian both ranked the song number two on their lists of the greatest Notorious B.I.G. songs, [12] [13] and Rolling Stone ranked the song number seven on their list of the 50 greatest Notorious B.I.G. songs. [14]
The music video, directed by Paul Hunter and filmed in California, was released in March 1997. It begins with the caption: Florida Keys 5:47 pm, with B.I.G. and Puff Daddy mingling with women on a Tempest yacht. Helicopters disrupt their bash and attempt to capture them. It cuts to B.I.G. and Puff Daddy in an underground parking lot, where they spot a black Hummer and men dressed in black riding motorcycles. They attempt to get away by driving their vehicle in reverse in the streets. The video cuts to a pool party that's set underwater, where mermaid models can be seen singing through the windows, and ends with B.I.G. and Puff Daddy escaping the helicopters. Intercut throughout the video are scenes of B.I.G. and Puff Daddy behind a sepia background with female dancers and B.I.G dancing behind a black background while pieces of the chorus are captioned below.
"For a big guy, he could really dance, but because his leg was still messed up [from a car accident that shattered his thighbone] he had to stay in one spot. But he was smiling, because he was happy to be stepped up. It was like, 'I'm free to really kill this.'" – Deric 'D-Dot' Angelettie [15]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [45] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI) [46] sales since 2009 | Gold | 35,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [47] | 2× Platinum | 1,200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [48] | Platinum | 1,200,000 [49] |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
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United States | March 4, 1997 | Rhythmic contemporary radio | [50] | |
April 4, 1997 |
| [48] | ||
United Kingdom | April 21, 1997 |
|
| [51] |
Christopher George Latore Wallace, better known by his stage names The Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta rap, he is widely considered one of the greatest rappers of all time. Wallace became known for his distinctive laid-back lyrical delivery, offsetting the lyrics' often grim content.
Life After Death is the second and final studio album by American rapper the Notorious B.I.G., released on March 25, 1997, on Bad Boy Records and Arista Records. A double album, it was released sixteen days after his murder. It features collaborations with guest artists such as 112, Jay-Z, Lil' Kim, Mase, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Too $hort, Angela Winbush, D.M.C. of Run-D.M.C., R. Kelly, the Lox, and Puff Daddy. Life After Death exhibits the Notorious B.I.G. further delving into the mafioso rap subgenre. The album is a sequel to his first album, Ready to Die, and picks up where the last song, "Suicidal Thoughts", ends.
Total is an American R&B girl group and one of the signature acts of the Bad Boy Records imprint during the mid-1990s. The group consists of founding members Kima Raynor, Keisha Spivey, and Pamela Long. Total is best known for their feature on Mase's "What You Want", as well as their hits "Kissin' You", "Can't You See", and "What About Us?" and "Trippin'", both featuring Missy Elliott. Long also sung the chorus of The Notorious B.I.G.'s hit song "Hypnotize", although she was not officially credited. Total made their first appearance singing the hook on The Notorious B.I.G.'s debut single, "Juicy", widely considered one of the greatest hip-hop songs of all time.
"One More Chance / Stay with Me (Remix)" is a song written and recorded by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G. Three versions of the song exist: An original, lyrically explicit version prefaced by an answering machine performance featured on the album, and two versions released as singles, both of which contain identical lyrics by B.I.G. despite differing instrumentals and choruses. The first is an upbeat "Hip Hop Mix" that samples Marley Marl's "Droppin Science", and the second is a sultrier R&B remix parenthetically labeled the "Stay with Me Remix", which samples the namesake 1983 song by the band DeBarge. The lattermost remains the most popular, and features backing vocals and harmonies performed by his wife Faith Evans, as well as an uncredited appearances by Mary J. Blige and Bad Boy Records label boss Puff Daddy—who also produced the version with Rashad Smith. It received platinum certification by the RIAA by July 31, 1995 and has sold 1.1 million copies.
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"I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By" is a duet song by American rapper Method Man, featuring American singer-songwriter Mary J. Blige. The song is a remix of Method Man's "All I Need" which appears on his debut studio album, Tical (1994). The song, a hip hop soul record, was released as a single by Def Jam Recordings and PolyGram Records on April 25, 1995.
"Notorious B.I.G." is a song and single by the Notorious B.I.G. from the album Born Again, which features Lil' Kim, and Puff Daddy. As a tribute song, Lil' Kim and Puff Daddy's verses have little relevance to Biggie's verse, which is about being in the hospital while being comforted by attractive female nurses. It samples the song "Notorious" by Duran Duran.
"No One Else" is a song by American girl group Total featuring American rapper Da Brat. It was released as the second single from Total's self-titled debut studio album on November 28, 1995, by Bad Boy and Arista Records. The song was produced by Bad Boy founder Sean "Puffy" Combs and Poke of the Trackmasters, while the songwriting was handled by the two alongside the featured Da Brat and Terri & Monica vocalist Terri Robinson. The song also contains a sample from the track "South Bronx" by Boogie Down Productions.
"Can't You See" is a 1995 song by American R&B girl group Total, released as their debut single. The track was released from the New Jersey Drive soundtrack and also later appeared on their debut album, Total. After making their recording debut on his tracks "Juicy", "One More Chance" and "One More Chance" ", The Notorious B.I.G. returned the favor with an intro rap verse to the song. The track was written and arranged by Terri & Monica's Terri Robinson, produced entirely by Sean "Puffy" Combs with instrumentation provided by associates Rashad Smith, Herb Middleton and Chucky Thompson and contains a sample from James Brown's "The Payback". The track was a success both on the mainstream US Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching number thirteen and the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, where it made number three. The song also peaked at number forty-three on the UK Singles Chart, where it charted for two weeks.
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