Diddy has confirmed that he is paying a hefty price for sampling The Police on “I’ll Be Missing You,” his 1997 tribute to his late friend Christopher “The Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace.
Sting addressed the issues a few years ago in an interview with the Breakfast Club, saying that Diddy pays him $2,000 daily for sampling his band’s 1983 hit single “Every Breath You Take” in his homage to Biggie.
A clip of the interview resurfaced on Wednesday (Apr. 6) and caught Diddy’s attention. He confirmed that he does indeed pay Sting a daily rate for using the sample. However, according to the Bad Boy Records honcho, it’s not $2,000, but more than double that.
“Nope. 5K a day,” Diddy wrote, retweeting the clip. Despite paying him four figures in royalties a day, Diddy and Sting are on great terms. “Love to my brother @OfficialSting,” he added.
In 2018, Charlamagne Tha God asked Sting to address the rumors that Diddy pays him $2k daily because he only asked for permission to use the sample after releasing “I’ll Be Missing You.”
“Yeah,” Sting replied, confirming the payment before adding, “for the rest of his life.” He also clarified that Diddy asked for permission to use the sample after the song was out. However, like Diddy, Sting has moved on and bears no ill will toward the producer. “We’re very good friends now,” he added. “It was a beautiful version of that song.”
Check out the clip below.
Nope. 5K a day. Love to my brother @OfficialSting! 😎 ✊🏿🫶🏿 https://t.co/sHdjd0UZEy
— LOVE (@Diddy) April 5, 2023
Diddy released the Notorious B.I.G. tribute song back in 1997, months after his murder on Mar. 9 of that year. “I’ll Be Missing You” spent a record-breaking 11 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The track also won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.