Diddy revealed on Twitter that he pays Sting $5,000 every day for using a sample of The Police’s hit “Every Breath You Take” in his song “I’ll Be Missing You.” This adds up to a whopping $1.825 million per year. Sting confirmed this arrangement in a 2018 interview, stating that Diddy didn’t initially get permission to sample the song.
“We’re very good friends now,” Sting mentioned, indicating no hard feelings. Diddy clarified in his tweet that he actually pays $3,000 more than what Sting mentioned. Despite this, he expressed his love for Sting.
“I’ll Be Missing You” was a tribute to Notorious B.I.G, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 11 weeks in 1997. “Every Breath You Take” also topped the charts for eight weeks in 1983.
Nope. 5K a day. Love to my brother @OfficialSting! 😎 ✊🏿🫶🏿 https://t.co/sHdjd0UZEy
— LOVE (@Diddy) April 5, 2023