The Astonishing Fortune Sting Raked In From Diddy’s Song
Diddy released I’ll Be Missing You as a tribute to his friend and collaborator, the Notorious B.I.G., who was shot to death two months earlier in a murder that remains unsolved.
The song featured vocals by Biggie’s widow, Faith Evans, 51, clearly singing Sting’s Every Breath You Take.
It was a huge hit, spending 11 weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100 and winning a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
The song’s popularity made it difficult to hide Diddy’s sampling of The Police’s 1983 hit.
Possibly the biggest hit of the band’s career, it spent eight weeks that year at the top of the US charts and won two Grammy Awards.
Diddy’s choice to sample the song would ultimately lead to a huge legal settlement.
Sting, the former lead vocalist of The Police, ended up making an astonishing fortune from Diddy’s song. Due to the sampling of “Every Breath You Take,” Sting received a significant portion of the royalties generated by “I’ll Be Missing You.”
The success of Diddy’s song propelled Sting back into the spotlight and introduced a new generation to his music. Despite the controversy surrounding the sampling, Sting embraced the opportunity to collaborate with Diddy and his team.
With the massive success of “I’ll Be Missing You,” Sting’s bank account saw a substantial boost. The royalties generated from the song’s radio play, streaming, and sales contributed to Sting’s already impressive net worth.
Ultimately, the collaboration between Diddy and Sting proved to be a lucrative venture for both artists. While the legal settlement may have been a bump in the road, the financial rewards reaped by Sting from the success of “I’ll Be Missing You” solidified his status as a music industry legend.
