Though Life After Death was chock-full with collaborations, Hypnotize was essentially a Biggie solo rap, with a strangely dead-eyed – indeed, hypnotised – 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. Now considering himself talented enough that he could “never lose”, Biggie also underlined his bond with Puff Daddy’s Bad Boy stable (“Poppa and Puff/Close like Starsky and Hutch”) and even threw in a reference to Da Doo Ron Ron, a hit by the 60s girl group The Crystals, for good measure (“Your crew run run run, your crew run run”). here.Ī taster of that album’s forthcoming success, Hypnotize is a brashly echoing, ground-hugging cut – a tribute to Biggie Smalls’ own “sicker than your average” lyrical skills, with the rapper unapologetically spinning a lyrical web in which he hypes every part of his lifestyle, whether it be his footwear (“Timbs for my hooligans in Brooklyn”) or “the Lexus, LX, four and a half/Bulletproof glass, tints if I want some ass”. Listen to the best of The Notorious B.I.G. However, just less than a week after the song’s release, Biggie was dead, and Life After Death hit the shelves as if it were some eerily belated prophecy. songs in a career most assumed would last for years to come. Picked as the album’s explosive first single, Hypnotize, issued just weeks earlier, on 4 March, also scored a Grammy nomination, went platinum, and was immediately hailed as one of the best Notorious B.I.G.
released his expansive sophomore album, the Grammy-nominated, diamond-selling double-disc Life After Death in late March 1997.
But on this night, he proved that one of our heroes was still very much alive.The Brooklyn, New York City-born hip-hop legend The Notorious B.I.G. “We lost a lot of heroes this year,” said Puff. That led perfectly into “I’ll Be Missing You,” as Puff and all of the night’s Family members were joined by a gospel choir to take us all home. The Biggie medley included hits like “One More Chance,” “Juicy” and “Hypnotize,” as Puff Daddy made sure to keep Big Poppa’s presence alive. Mase returned to deliver solo hits “Feels So Good” and “What You Want,” but then it was another Bad Boy family member, the late Notorious B.I.G., who made an appearance-in spirit, at least. Mariah Carey Makes ESSENCE Festival Debut and Enters Like the R&B-Pop Queen She Is We here to bring you up,” they said to all the ladies in the crowd. Next up was French Montana, who joined Puff for a moment of ESSENCE Festival empowerment: “We here to celebrate Black excellence. Puff joined Evans onstage to playfully warble a bit of that Faith ballad, then told the crowd, “It would be no Bad Boy if it wasn’t for the First Lady of Bad Boy.” And Evans earned every single bit of that praise during her mini-set. Starting with “You Used to Love Me,” she really took the Sunday night finale to church with “Soon as I Get Home.” Then the R&B quartet 112 hit the stage to drop some smooth crooning-and dance moves-on the crowd with hits like “Peaches & Cream.” But the show reached its second peak when Faith Evans came out to represent the ladies. Wearing a gold-and-black bomber-and still flashing those dimples with that killer smile-Mase rolled back the clock to his ’90s heyday, as he and Puff delivered the one-two punch of “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down” and “Been Around the World.” With their bromantic chemistry, the pair showed that they still make a dynamic duo after all of these years. Kendrick Lamar Brings Down the House for 2nd ESSENCE Festival Performanceīut it was when the first Family member, Mase, joined Puff onstage that the party really got turned up. He pumped up the crowd with hits like “Bad Boy for Life,” demonstrating that he was just that.
Even security was rocking to the string of hits that Puff Daddy & the Family threw down.ĭecked out in all black everything-save for his massive gold chain-Puff Dady took the stage solo at the beginning of the show. Making his ESSENCE Festival debut, Puff Daddy was joined by Bad Boy family members Mase, 112, Faith Evans and French Montana-as well as surprise guests Fabolous and Marsha Ambrosius-during a set that had everyone on their feet, dancing in the aisles and by their seats. And Puff Daddy & the Family turned the New Orleans Superdome into one big house party during their epic ESSENCE Festival finale.
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