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 ( " Ca n'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 . " 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 . " The music video was filmed in Los Angeles , California in February 1997 , a month before The Notorious B.I.G. 's death . Directed by Paul Hunter , the video starts off with the caption : Florida Keys 5:47 pm , with B.I.G. and Puff Daddy hanging out on a 60-foot Tempest yacht with some ladies when a bunch of helicopters disrupt their party and attempt to capture them . It then cuts to B.I.G. and Puff Daddy in an underground parking lot , where they spot a black Hummer and a group of men dressed in black riding motorcycles , and attempt to get away from them by driving their vehicle in reverse while in the streets . It cuts to a pool party that 's set underwater , where swimsuit models can be seen shaking their bodies through the windows , and it 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 some female dancers dressed in leather bikinis and B.I.G. dancing behind a black background while pieces of the chorus are captioned below
1998 Grammy Awards
40th Annual Grammy Awards
Hypnotize (The Notorious B.I.G. song)