Sheesh! Diddy is clarifying some comments made about him paying Sting thousands of dollars a day for using a sample of Sting’s 1983 single “Every Breath You Take” on his 1997 hit “I’ll Be Missing You” — something Diddy did, initially, without permission.
Diddy Updates That He Pays Sting $5,000 A Day After Using “Every Breath You Take” Sample On “I’ll Be Missing You” Without Permission
For a few days now, a clip from Sting’s interview on ‘The Breakfast Club’ has been trending.
In it, Sting addresses a claim about Diddy never asking him if he could use a sample of his 1983 song for Diddy’s 1997 hit — which featured Faith Evans and 112, and served as a tribute to the late and great Notorious B.I.G. ‘
The Breakfast Club’ host Charlamagne Tha God asks Sting, “Is it true that Diddy has to pay you two grand a day because he didn’t have permission to sample “Every Breathe You Take?””
The 71-year-old musician quips, “Yeah. For the rest of his life.” Co-host DJ Envy asks in disbelief, “That’s not true. Is it?” Charla then asks if the 53-year-old Hip-Hop icon ever got permission. He questions, “But, did he ask you for permission?” Sting adds, “Yeah.” Charla clarifies, “But, after the fact?” Sting replies, “Yes. We’re very good friends now.”
Sting also adds, “It was a beautiful version” of his song “Every Breath You Take.”
Following the resurfaced clip, Diddy caught wind of it and reacted to it, but also updated that the number is slightly higher than what Charla mentioned in the interviewed.
Diddy replied to a tweet with the clip, posted by Black Millionaires, and said, “Nope. $5k a day. Love to my brother @OfficialSting!”
As mentioned above, Diddy’s “I’ll Be Missing You” ended up skyrocketing on the charts. After its release, the song shot up the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and eventually earned Diddy several trophies at the 1997 Billboard Music Awards.
#Socialites, do you think in this case it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission? Be sure to check out the post below, then leave us your thoughts in a comment after!