Is Diddy Still Paying Stitch For I’ll Miss You?
Sting and Shaggy appeared The Breakfast Club in March 2018. About six minutes into the conversation, Sting was asked about rappers who have requested clearance to sample his songs, including Diddy.
“Is it true that Diddy has to pay you two grand a day for not asking permission to taste? [The Police’s] ‘Every breath you take’?” Charlamagne Tha God asked about Diddy’s #1 single “I’ll Be Missing You” in 1997.
“Yes, for the rest of his life,” Sting replied jokingly. “If it’s on the radio, then it must be true!” he said, before clarifying that Diddy did in fact ask for permission at some point. Sting said he and Diddy are “very good friends now” and weren’t “at all” upset about the rehearsal. In fact, he was “very happy” because “it was a beautiful version of that song.”
A 22-second snippet of the exchange was circulated on Twitter on Wednesday April 5, and Diddy chimed in, writing: “No. 5K a day. Love to my brother @OfficialSting!”
The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle, but regardless, Sting isn’t counting on extra money from Diddy or anyone else. The New York Times broke news in February 2022 that Sting had sold his solo recording catalog and songwriting catalog The Police to Universal Music Group for an estimated $300 million.
