The 54-year-old music mogul, who is currently facing serious legal charges including extortion, sex trafficking and prostitution, sampled Sting’s Every Breath You Take in 1997 – and is still paying the price.
Combs was arrested by federal agents on Sept. 16 at a New York hotel, and the charges include allegations of sexual assault, kidnapping, arson and gun possession, along with shocking revelations of days of sexual “requests.”
While Combs’ current legal troubles dominate the news, a previous copyright infringement case has returned — and it appears the record executive is still paying a heavy price after sampling one of Sting’s hits nearly two decades ago.
In 1997, Combs released the chart-topping hit “I’ll Be Missing You” as a tribute to New York rapper The Notorious BIG, who had been murdered earlier that year.
Featuring vocals by Biggie’s wife Faith Evans, the song spent 11 weeks at the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 according to dailymail while winning a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
However, the hit track sampled Sting’s 1983 classic ‘Every Breath You Take’ without permission, leading to a costly legal settlement.
In a 2018 interview with The Breakfast Club, the former Police frontman revealed that he is being paid $2,000 (£1,494) a day by Diddy for the use of the song, a fee that is said to be paid out for the rest of Combs’ life.
In the resurfaced clip, radio host Charlamagne Tha God asked Sting if it was true that Combs had to pay him daily royalties for the sample, to which Sting confirmed: “Yes, for the rest of his life.”
Charlemagne probed, “But did he ask permission…after the fact?” to which Sting replied, “Yes, he did.”
Wanting to poke fun, Combs later joked on Twitter that the actual figure was even higher, claiming in a post on X: “No. 5 thousand per day. Love to my brother @OfficialSting!’
However, he later clarified his comment, admitting that he was joking. He explained in a subsequent post: “I want you all to understand that I was joking!”
Combs reassured fans that he and Sting are longtime friends and that Sting probably makes a lot more than $5,000 a day from the circuit.
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