Synopsis

Set in the year 3002, "Victory" presents Puff Daddy as Contestant #5, a fugitive hunted through a bleak, heavily militarized city by the forces of Chase TV. The pursuit unfolds like a televised manhunt, with helicopters, explosions, armed patrols and a rooftop escape attempt. Busta Rhymes delivers his verse from atop a towering statue of Victoria, the goddess of victory, while the Notorious B.I.G. appears through archival footage and ghostly flashbacks. The video ends as a grand dystopian spectacle of surveillance, violence and defiance.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video is an overt homage to the 1987 science-fiction film "The Running Man," particularly its concept of turning a violent manhunt into televised entertainment.

• With reported production costs of approximately $2.7 million, "Victory" became one of the most expensive music videos of the 1990s.

• Dennis Hopper appears as President Victor Castiglione, the authoritarian leader behind Chase TV. Danny DeVito plays a reporter covering the televised pursuit.

• Hopper and DeVito reportedly took part without charging their usual fees, appearing as a favor to Puff Daddy.

• The production's large budget was reflected in its action set pieces, including helicopter work, stunt sequences, pyrotechnics and elaborate dystopian sets.

• The Notorious B.I.G. does not appear in newly filmed scenes. His presence is created with archive footage, including material from his "One More Chance" video, following his death in March 1997.

• The song's Biggie verse was among the last material he recorded. "Victory" was released in March 1998 as the fifth and final single from Puff Daddy's "No Way Out."