Diddy Clarifies That He Pays Musician Sting $5,000 Per Day For Sampling His 1983 “Every Breath You Take” Track

Diddy confirms that he pays Sting $5,000 daily for sampling the singer’s popular 1983 hit “Every Breath You Take” in his own 1997 “I’ll Be Missing You” track.

Diddy recently posted a tweet reacting to surfaced video clips from an interview with Sting that took place on the Breakfast Club back in 2018. The video clips display host Charlamagne Tha God, questioning Sting about Diddy’s alleged payment of $2,000 per day for the sample used in “I’ll Be Missing You.” Sting confirmed that he gave permission for his song to be sampled by Diddy, and adds that the mogul will be making payments “for the rest of his life,” implying a long-term agreement.

Nevertheless, Sting noted that there are no hard feelings between the two and says they “are very good friends now,” adding, “It was a beautiful version of that song.”

Once Diddy caught wind of the clips circulating, he went on to agree with Sting’s statement but clarifies that he is making $5,000 payments instead of $2,000.

“Nope. 5K a day. Love to my brother @officialsting!” he tweeted.

Nope. 5K a day. Love to my brother @OfficialSting! 😎 ✊🏿🫶🏿 https://t.co/sHdjd0UZEy

— LOVE (@Diddy) April 5, 2023

Sting’s former band, the Police, welcomed their greatest hit “Every Breath You Take” in 1983. That same year, the song secured the top spot on the U.S. charts for eight weeks and earned two Grammy Awards. It also claimed the No. 1 position in the U.K. and Canada, while making it to the Top 10 in additional countries.

14 years later, “I’ll Be Missing You” which featured Diddy, Faith Evans, and 112, was released. The song became a massive success, reaching number one in multiple countries and topping the U.S. charts for 11 weeks. Initially, Sting was not credited on the track and filed a lawsuit, but the issue was quickly resolved, as he stated.