Diddy has backtracked from his comments earlier which suggested that he was paying Sting $5,000 per day for sampling The Policefrontman’s 1983 blockbuster hit “Every Breath You Take”in the 1997 Biggie tribute, “I’ll Be Missing You.”
A 2018 clip from an interview with Sting conducted by Charlemagne Tha God resurfaced online, wherein the “Every Breath You Take” hitmaker Sting was asked if he was charging Diddy $2,000 for sampling his song in the “I Will Miss You” Biggie tribute. Sting laughed and said yes, he was. “For the rest of his (Diddy’s) life,” and then went to confirm that Diddy did ask for his permission for the sampling.
The video clip which recently resurfaced prompted a response from Diddy. “Nope. 5k a day. Love to my brother,” Diddy quote-tweeted his response.
After the story was picked up by many news outlets, some even suggesting that the money was going to Universal Music Publishing, which last year acquired the song, Diddy decided to come clean.
“I want y’all to understand I was joking,” he tweeted on Friday (April 7). “It’s called being Facetious! Me and @OfficialSting have been friends for a long time!”
“He never charged me $3K or $5K a day for Missing You. He probably makes more than $5K a day from one of the biggest songs in history.”
“I Will Be Missing You,” was created by Puff Daddy and Faith Evans. It also featured the vocal group 112. Created as a tribute to the slain rapper and good friend of Diddy, the Notorious B.I.G., the song dominated the US Billboard charts for 11 weeks, and reached No.1 in multiple countries.
Sting was not credited which prompted a lawsuit from him, but the issue was soon resolved.
