Hypnotize

Recorded in 1996 for Life After Death at Daddy's House Recording Studio in New York and Caribbean Sound Basin in Trinidad, with background vocals by Pam Long. Doug Wilson and Axel Niehaus recorded the track, and Lane Craven and Sean Combs mixed it. Released in March 1997 as the lead single from Life After Death, it became The Notorious B.I.G.'s first Billboard Hot 100 number-one single after his death. Its success reinforced Bad Boy's commercial dominance at the height of 1990s rap crossover. It remains one of The Notorious B.I.G.'s signature records, built around the Herb Alpert Rise sample and a widely quoted hook. The track has endured through recurrent airplay, rankings of major hip-hop songs, and its place in Biggie's posthumous mythology.