“Sometimes Your Words Just Hypnotize Me”
How 70s jazz and 90s culture formed Biggie’s timeless single
On March 8th, 1997, after a lengthy awards-ceremony after-party, Biggie Smalls and his entourage were stopped at a red light alongside a black Chevy Impala. The unidentified Impala driver rolled down his window and fired a series of 9mm bullets at Biggie's car, four of which entered Biggie's body. He was immediately rushed to the nearest hospital where emergency surgery was conducted. It wasn't enough and Biggie was pronounced dead just under an hour after the shooting.
Although Biggie was gone, his soul remained in the hearts of his listeners. Biggie released two chart-topping albums, but one song would serve as his eulogy.
“Hypnotize” was officially released four days before Biggie’s demise, on March 4th, 1997. Surprisingly, the song’s release so close to his death isn’t what makes it so special. Instead, “Hypnotize” represents almost two decades of musical culture in one song. Whether it be from Slick Rick’s 1985, “La Di Da Di”, or Herb Albert’s rise, “Hypnotize” was truly a piece of art and history.
“Hypnotize” was a tribute to Biggie’s “sicker than your average” lyrical skills, where he unapologetically hyped up every part of his Brooklyn lifestyle. Whether it be his car, “my car go one-sixty, swiftly (Come on)
Wreck it, buy a new one” his extravagant lifestyle “Come through, have sex on rugs that’s Persian (That’s right)” or even his footwear “Timbs for my hooligans in Brooklyn.” Biggie told his life story in three minutes, fifty seconds.
As journalist Phil Smith explains, “‘Hypnotize’ was essentially a Biggie solo rap, with a strangely dead-eyed — indeed, hypnotized — chorus by Pamela Long, on loan from R&B group Total, that proved he didn’t need anyone’s help in order to leave audiences spellbound.”
Almost as crucial as Hypnotize itself, the sample used in Biggie’s number one single, “Rise” was a true staple of late seventies club music.
“Rise” by Herb Alpert was released in 1979 as a single and instantly became a worldwide sensation. In the October of its release, “Rise” climbed to the number one spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 where it held this position for two weeks. Funnily enough, this title made Herb Alpert the only person to ever have acquired a spot on the U.S. Billboard 100 with a vocal piece and an instrumental song.
Before reaching Biggie’s doorstep, “Rise” was mentioned to the likes of artists such as Easy E, Ice Cube, Vanilla Ice, and maybe five more according to one of Biggie’s producers, Randy ‘Badazz’ Alpert. Alpert, who had the rights to “Rise” had rejected all the proposals by Ice Cube and others until he stumbled upon Biggie's rough recording, which after a quick listen, immediately granted Biggie permission to use his song.
Biggie’s super smooth voice coupled with his brilliant rhyme and rhythm, drastically influenced the world of hip-hop, accentuating his marvelous personality into a genre that seemed to have endless potential.
Overall, “Rise” is composed of multiple genres and billboard records. Various genres were mentioned because it isn’t entirely a Jazz, pop, contemporary, R+B, or dance song, but rather a little bit of everything, making this hit song the authentic sound of 1979. “Rise” was that song that everybody knew — especially young Biggie. “When [Puff] first played the loop for Biggie,” Randy Alpert explains, “Biggie smiled and hugged him.
When Biggie died, his highly dedicated fans were left in complete and utter shock. At the time, Biggie was at the top of the hip-hop industry, setting new trends at will and crushing every billboard. “Hypnotize”, which is arguably one of Biggie’s best songs, reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 virtually instantly.
Another reason “Hypnotize” was so powerful was that it was entirely written by Biggie himself, fully encapsulating his larger-than-life personality and soul. An interesting note, during Biggie’s funeral which was held in the streets of Brooklyn, a nearby nightclub blasted “Hypnotize” for the visitors to enjoy. The attendees all rejoiced together in celebrating one of the hip-hop legends.
