Diddy has been forced to pay Sting £4,020 ($5,000) each day for the rest of his life.
The hip-hop icon was forced to pay the ongoing fee after sampling one of the musician’s tracks without permission in 1997.
The sample in question was taken from The Police’s hit 1983 single, ‘Every Breath You Take’, which Diddy used in one of his most famous tracks, ‘I’ll Be Missing You”. He has now confirmed the hefty fees on Twitter after a 2018 Sting interview re-surfaced.
Sting originally discussed the subject when speaking with The Breakfast Club five years ago– check out the clip below.
Sting Reveals How He Clears His Song Samples
How much did Diddy have to pay Sting to clear "Every Breath You Take"? Watch the full interview here – https://ihr.fm/2tDV4ZQ
Posted by Breakfast Club on Monday, March 12, 2018
In the footage, radio host Charlamagne the God asked the frontman: “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 the former Police member simply replied: “Yep, for the rest of his life.”
Sting – real name Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner – also stated that the R&B icon did ask him for permission to sample the track, but only after he had already released the song.
Following the clip of Sting re-emerging on social media, Diddy took to Twitter to not only confirm the statement but also correct the musician on the actual amount he is expected to pay.
“Nope. 5K a day,” he wrote, adding: “Love to my brother @OfficialSting!”
Nope. 5K a day. Love to my brother @OfficialSting!
https://t.co/sHdjd0UZEy
— LOVE (@Diddy) April 5, 2023
Sean John Combs, who is known professionally as Diddy, wrote ‘I’ll Be Missing You’ as a tribute to his longtime friend Christopher ‘The Notorious B.I.G.’ Wallace. Previously discussing his inspiration to write the song, the musician said that he was contemplating quitting the profession after hearing of the passing, however, was motivated after hearing The Police song.
“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 began (via UniLad). “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.”
Last year, Sting was listed as the highest-earning solo artist in Forbes‘ annual breakdown of the highest-paid entertainers. The announcement followed the frontman selling his entire discography – including work with The Police – to Universal Music Group for £168million ($210million).
Earlier this year the singer cancelled his show in New Zealand following the destruction caused by Cyclone Gabrielle. The gig was due to take place at The Mission Estate Winery on March 4, as part of his ‘My Songs’ tour throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Elsewhere, last month Diddy has teased that he wants to purchase BET media groups, after commenting on the network and how he thinks it should be Black-owned.
According to an unnamed source, the mogul is “exploring the opportunity to purchase BET as a part of his strategy to build a Black-owned global media powerhouse.”
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