Diddy clarified if he pays Sting for sampling his classic 1983 song
Diddy once addressed the famous rumour that he was made to pay Sting $5,000 a day for sampling his song without permission.
You’ve probably heard The Police’s 1983 hit ‘Every Breath You Take’ and drew similarities from this to Diddy’s own 1997 hit ‘I’ll Be Missing You’, featuring Faith Evans.
Well, that’s because the latter song sampled the former, with both topping the charts across the world – but Diddy once claimed that he had to pay The Police frontman, Sting, $5,000 (£3,880) in royalties per day for using the song without his blessing.
Does Sting make $35,000 a week from Diddy alone? (Paul Morigi/Getty Images)
But last year, the music executive clarified this comment and revealed the truth, once and for all.
‘I’ll Be Missing You’ was made in tribute to his late friend Biggie Smalls, also known as the Notorious B.I.G, who died after a drive-by shooting in March 1997.
Apparently, Diddy only asked for permission to sample the iconic baseline from The Police’s original song after his own song was released.
During an interview with The Breakfast Club in 2018, Sting claimed that he got a payment of $2,000 (£1,550) from Combs for using his song without asking.
Combs then took to Twitter, replying to the clip saying: “Nope. 5K a day. Love to my brother @OfficialSting!”
Then in 2023, commenting on the claim that he made years previously, he wrote on X: “I want y’all to understand I was joking! 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. LOVE.”
During the 2018 interview though, Sting clarified: “We’re very good friends now. It was a beautiful version of that song.”
Diddy is currently facing several charges (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Diddy, real name Sean Combs, is currently incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, as he awaits trial following his arrest.
In September, he was arrested at a Manhattan hotel before being charged with racketeering and sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion.
Ever since, Combs has denied these allegations and pleaded not guilty after being accused of using his ‘power and prestige’ to drug sex workers for his alleged ‘freak-offs’.
US Attorney Damian Williams stated in September: “As alleged in the Indictment, for years, Sean Combs used the business empire he controlled to sexually abuse and exploit women, as well as to commit other acts of violence and obstruction of justice.
“Today, he is charged with racketeering and sex trafficking offences. If you have been a victim of Combs’ alleged abuse – or if you know anything about his alleged crimes – we urge you to come forward.”
Combs’ representatives then released a legal statement, claiming that ‘in court the truth will prevail’, while alleging: “Mr Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone – man or woman, adult or minor.”
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivors Trust for free on 08088 010 818, available 10am-12.30pm, 1.30pm-3pm and 6pm-8pm Monday to Thursday, 10am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-3pm on Fridays, 10am-12.30pm on Saturdays and 6pm-8pm on Sundays.
Featured Image Credit: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images / Paul Morigi/Getty Images
