BY: Walker
Published 9 hours ago
Diddy is entangled in a mountain of legal woes. The former head of Revolt TV has been accused of sex trafficking, sexual assault, abuse, and more. Since the allegations surfaced many industry insiders have attempted to create distance from him as not to be found guilty (in the public’s eyes) by association.
In a new interview with the Los Angeles Times published on Monday, Nov. 11, Sting revealed that despite what “went on” with the disgraced music mogul — who famously sampled the 1983 Police hit in his and Faith Evans’ 1997 song “I’ll Be Missing You” — the original track belongs to him.
When asked whether Combs’ current situation has affected how he looks at the classic ‘80s song, the Police songwriter and bassist, 73, had a pretty straightforward response: “No.”
“I mean, I don’t know what went on [with Diddy],” he added. “But it doesn’t taint the song at all for me. It’s still my song.”
Plus, when the L.A. Times interviewer pointed out that people still love to hear “Every Breath You Take,” he added, “Absolutely.”
The rock legend also gave a glimpse into his general philosophy about sampling while discussing a more recent collaboration, 2023’s “Dreaming” with Pink and Marshmello, which uses one of his solo hits, “Fields of Gold.”
When asked why he thinks his music keeps drawing younger musicians, Sting told the outlet he has no clue — but doesn’t mind it.
“I have no idea, but when somebody wants to interpolate or whatever it’s called, I never object because I always learn something about the song that I hadn’t known or anticipated,” the rocker said. “And I get paid, so why not? It keeps them current.”
“Songs are living organisms — you have to keep breathing life into them or giving them new bedfellows,” he finished.
Combs — who not only sampled Sting in “I’ll Be Missing You” but also performed it with the rocker at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards — has been in jail since his September arrest on charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.
via: People
