Diddy Pays $5,000 Per Day to Sting for Using The Police Classic Song

More than 25 years after releasing his hit “I’ll Be Missing You,” Diddy has revealed that he pays Sting $5,000 daily for sampling The Police’s 1983 hit “Every Breath You Take” on the song.

In 2014, Diddy initially revealed that he was paying Sting $2,000 after getting permission to sample the song years earlier. Initially, Diddy, who was known as Puff Daddy when he released “I’ll Be Missing You,” never asked permission to use the sample.

Written by Sting, “Every Breath You Take” was featured on The Police’s fifth and final album, Synchronicity, in 1983.

Since permission was never granted for use of the sample, Sting sued and received 100 percent of the royalties for the song. Earlier permission would have allowed Diddy to pay only 25 percent of the publishing royalties.

Because of his slight, Sting now receives just over $1.8 million per year for the song, according to the rapper.

Originally, Celebrity Net Worth also reported that Sting earns approximately $730,000 per year for the sample, which breaks down to about $2,000 per day with royalties. When a fan recently referenced the past figure of $2,000 for “Every Breath You Take,” Diddy went on social media to correct the figure and responded, “Nope. 5K a day. Love to my brother [Sting]!”

“I’ll Be Missing You” uses the original Police melody, including Andy Summers’ iconic guitar riff throughout, along with new lyrics written byWallace’s widow Faith Evans and Todd Gaither:

Seems like yesterday we used to rock the show
I laced the track, you locked the flow
So far from hangin’ on the block for dough
Notorious, they got to know that
Life ain’t always what it seem to be
Words can’t express what you mean to me

A tribute to Diddy’s friend, the late rapper The Notorious B.I.G. (Christopher Wallace), who was murdered on March 19, 1996, the song features Evans on vocals and the R&B group 112 and was released on Diddy’s 1997 debut album, No Way Out.

Upon its release, “I’ll Be Missing You” reached No. 1 on the charts, and won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.

Photo by Mayumi Nashida