Music mogul, rapper and producer P Diddy has confessed that he pays a hefty sum to rock legend Sting for using a sample from his hit song “Every Breath You Take” without consent.
Diddy sampled the song, which was written and performed by Sting with his band The Police, on his 1997 tribute to his late friend and collaborator The Notorious B.I.G., “I’ll Be Missing You”, featuring Faith Evans.
The song was a huge success, topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 11 weeks and winning a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
However, Diddy did not clear the sample with Sting before releasing the song, and as a result, he had to pay him a royalty fee of 100% of the publishing rights.
In an interview with Insider, Diddy revealed that he still pays Sting about $5,000 per day for using his song.
“I didn’t know you had to clear samples back then,” Diddy said. “I thought if you just gave credit to the original artist, it was OK. But I learned the hard way.”
Diddy added that he has no hard feelings towards Sting, and that he respects him as a musician and a songwriter.
“Sting is a genius,” Diddy said. “He wrote one of the most iconic songs of all time. I’m honored to have sampled it. And I’m glad he gets paid for it. He deserves it.”
Sting has also expressed his admiration for Diddy and his tribute to The Notorious B.I.G., who was killed in a drive-by shooting in 1997.
In 2019, Sting told People magazine that he was “flattered” by Diddy’s use of his song, and that he thought it was a “beautiful gesture”.
“I was very touched by it,” Sting said. “It was a very moving tribute to Biggie. And I think he did a great job with it.”
Sting also said that he was happy to share his royalties with Diddy, and that he considered him a friend.
“I don’t mind paying him,” Sting said. “He’s a good guy. And we’ve become friends over the years. We’ve performed together several times. He’s always very respectful and gracious.”
Diddy and Sting have indeed shared the stage on several occasions, including at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards, where they performed “I’ll Be Missing You” with Faith Evans and 112.
They also collaborated on a remix of Sting’s song “Roxanne”, which was released in 2003.
Diddy said that he hopes to work with Sting again in the future, and that he has learned his lesson about clearing samples.
“I always ask for permission now,” Diddy said. “And I always pay my dues. It’s only fair.”