NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 28: Recording artists Sting and Sean "Diddy" Combs attend the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards at Madison Square Garden on January 28, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for NARAS)
It looks like Diddy was just telling a lil’ joke. He now claims he doesn’t pay Sting $5,000 daily. Brother Love had the internet tusslin’ and rehashing past accusations when he made the claim earlier this week.
But on Friday, he reiterated his friendship with the rock star before saying Sting “never charged” him $3,000 or $5,000.
“I want y’all to understand I was joking! It’s called being Facetious! Me and @OfficialSting have been friends for a long time! He never charged me $3K or $5K a day for Missing You. He probably makes more than $5K a day from one of the biggest songs in history,” Diddy tweeted.
Sting has not responded to either of Diddy’s tweets about the sample.
This story was updated on April 7, 2023, at 4:30 p.m. est to reflect new information provided by the subject.
Diddy claimed he’s paying big bucks for his award-winning 1997 single I’ll Be Missing You. The hip-hop mogul recently confirmed the dollar amount he allegedly pays musician Sting for sampling Every Breath You Take without permission.
“Nope. 5K a day. Love to my brother @officialsting,” Diddy tweeted on Wednesday.
Diddy’s tweet was a reaction to a resurfaced clip of a 2018 interview the rock star did with The Breakfast Club. In the clip, Charlamagne Tha God asked Sting to confirm whether Diddy pays him $2,000 daily for sampling his 1983 single. Sting said yes, “for the rest of his life.” Then, he confirmed that Diddy did ask permission, but it was after the fact.
Nonetheless, the former frontman for the band The Police said he and Diddy “are very good friends now.” Adding, “It was a beautiful version of that song.”
In his tweet, Diddy reciprocated the brotherly energy but clarified that he pays $3,000 more daily for the sampled track.
Meanwhile, Sting hasn’t responded to Diddy’s update online, and the tweet is racking up views and opinions. It has over 4,900 retweets and more than 900 quote tweets. Some folks expressed shock; others asked if the ‘daily’ part includes weekends, and a few rehashed accusations of Diddy not paying artists.
If you didn’t know, Diddy sampled Sting’s song in a tribute to The Notorious B.I.G., also known as Biggie, following his death in 1997. Brother Love tapped Biggie’s former wife, Faith Evans, and R&B group 112 to bring the track to life.
In 2002, Universal-MCA Music Publishing filed a $4 million lawsuit against the mogul for songwriting royalties from his debut album No Way Out, which included I’ll Be Missing You on it.
