If you grew up in the ’90s, chances are you’re familiar with Diddy’s “I’ll Be Missing You,” which was released following the death of Notorious B.I.G. The track sampled The Police’s “Every Breath You Take,” and it became an instant classic, much like the original. However, using a sample of the 1983 track in “I’ll Be Missing You” didn’t come cheap. As it turns out, Diddy has to pay Sting $5,000 a day for the rest of his life.
Nope. 5K a day. Love to my brother @OfficialSting! ð âð¿ð«¶ð¿ https://t.co/sHdjd0UZEy
— LOVE (@Diddy) April 5, 2023
- Sting made the revelation in an interview on “The Breakfast Club.” Host Charlamagne the God asked Sting, “Is it true that Diddy has to pay you $2,000 because he didn’t ask permission to sample ‘Every Breath You Take’?” Sting said in response, “Yep, for the rest of his life.”
- However, there’s no bad blood between the men. Sting clarified in the interview that he was annoyed that Diddy asked permission “after the fact” but insisted, “We’re very good friends now.”
- Diddy is actually paying Sting more than people thought. While Sting claimed it was $2,000 a day, Diddy took to Twitter to correct him and said that in fact, he pays more than double that amount. “Nope. 5K a day. Love to my brother @OfficialSting,” Diddy wrote.
- Diddy still has no regrets about using the Police sample. In fact, in “Hip-Hop Evolution” interview, the rapper, real name Sean Combs, said that he found “Every Breath You Take” in the midst of a deep depression after Biggie’s death. “I was ready to quit; I wasn’t gonna put out any more [Bad Boy] records. Then I was watching TV one day—you know, one of those times of despair where nobody is around, and you’re like crying on the floor,” he explained. “The self-pity is at an all-time high, and you’re asking God ‘why?’ and then I just heard ‘Every Breath You Take’ by The Police. I just took it as a sign. Sometimes you just need that little bit of light to be able to express yourself.” Diddy added that he decided not to give up and instead to “get up and start to fight.”