US rapper Diddy has been forced to pay Sting £4,020 ($5,000) for the rest of his life over his track ‘I’ll Be Missing You’.
The song which was released by Diddy in 1997, was sampled from The Police’s 1983 hit ‘Every Breath You Take’ without Sting’s permission.
This turned out to be hefty price for Diddy, who has been paying Sting $5,000 per day since then.
“for the rest of his life”
Diddy confirmed the news regarding his financial arrangement with Sting, after a 2018 interview with the former Police singer resurfaced.
Speaking to The Breakfast Club, Sting was asked “Is it true that Diddy has to pay you USD $2,000 (£1,608) because he didn’t ask permission to sample ‘Every Breath You Take’?”.
To which he replied, “Yep, for the rest of his life”.
Sting also revealed that Diddy only requested permission after the song was released.
Reacting to this re-emerging clip, Diddy backed up Sting’s revelations, adding that he actually pays him $5,000 a day.
“Nope. 5K a day”, the rapper also tweeted. “Love to my brother @OfficialSting!”.
Nope. 5K a day. Love to my brother @OfficialSting! 😎 ✊🏿🫶🏿 https://t.co/sHdjd0UZEy
— LOVE (@Diddy) April 5, 2023
‘I’ll Be Missing You’ was also written by Diddy as a tribute to his friend and fellow rapper Christopher ‘The Notorious B.I.G’ Wallace, who was shot dead in 1997.
In previous interviews, Diddy had also admitted that he was ready to quit the music industry follow Wallace’s death, but had a change of heart after hearing ‘Every Breath You Take’.
“I was ready to quit; I wasn’t gonna put out any more 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 said.
He also added, “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”.
Speaking of Sting, the singer also revealed that he regrets reuniting the band for that 2007 reunion tour. Find out why here.
