Diddy pays $5,000 a day to Sting for sampling his hit song

Diddy pays $5,000 a day to Sting for sampling his hit song “I’ll be Missing you” dedicated to rapper Biggie Smalls without permission “We are very good friends now”.

Diddy shared that he pays British hitmaker Sting a lump sum of money every day, due to not clearing a sample. 

The rapper and producer, 53, took to Twitter on Wednesday to reveal he pays $5,000 a day in royalties for sampling the rocker’s, 71, iconic 1983 single, Every Breath You Take, on his 1997 single, I’ll Be Missing You.

The hip hop mogul retweeted a clip from Sting’s 2018 interview with The Breakfast Club, where the musician was asked if it’s true that he receives $2,000 a day from Diddy for the sample, which he confirmed. In his caption Diddy clarified that the sum is actually larger, writing: ‘Nope. 5K a day. Love to my brother @OfficialSting.’ 

During the original interview the former Police frontman said Diddy asked for permission only after the song had been released, but added, ‘We’re very good friends now.’

The rapper most recently reflected on their friendship in a tweet shared on the 26th anniversary of his death in March.

“There will NEVER be another. The GREATEST RAPPER OF ALL TIME,” wrote Diddy. “Today we celebrate and honor you king. Love and miss you!!”

Evans, 49, reflected on the late rapper’s legacy while speaking to PEOPLE in March 2022, sharing, “The person behind these rhymes, which could be so gritty and sometimes harsh and sometimes explicit — he was occasionally all of those things. But for the most part, he was just a really cool, lovable, funny person that most people loved being around.”

Sting confirmed the rumors after host Charlamagne Tha God asked him about the daily payment, with the British rocker replying, ‘Yeah, for the rest of his life.’  

He also praised the tune: ‘It was a beautiful version of that song.’

If Diddy’s $5,000 payment is issued every 24 hours, Sting would make about $1.8 million every year. 

I’ll Be Missing You was a tribute to iconic New York rapper The Notorious B.I.G., who died at the age of 24 in 1997.

Diddy was accompanied by Biggie’s ex-wife Faith Evans on the song, along with R&B group 112.

Sting and Diddy performed the emotional tune together at MTV Video Music Awards held in Radio City Music Hall, New York City, on September 4, 1997. 

The tribute was a hit and spent 11 weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100. Diddy also won Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards.

In the interview, the 71-year-old musician shares that the producer asked for permission to sample the single only after it had been released. “We’re very good friends now,” he adds. “It was a beautiful version of that song.”