I'll Be Missing You By Puff Daddy - Songfacts

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I'll Be Missing Youby Puff Daddy

Album: No Way Out (1997)Charted: 1 1 License This Song  lyricsartistfacts

Songfacts®:

• This song is a tribute to Notorious B.I.G., a rapper and good friend of P. Diddy (known as Puff Daddy at the time) who was shot to death on March 9, 1997 at age 24. The incident happened in the early morning after an industry party in Los Angeles when B.I.G. was riding in the passenger seat of an SUV. A gunman opened fire from a vehicle that pulled alongside, firing four shots that hit the rapper. No arrest was made in the case.Notorious B.I.G. was signed to Diddy's Bad Boy label, and after the shooting, another Bad Boy artist, the Lox, recorded a tribute song called "We'll Always Love Big Poppa." This prompted Diddy to record his own song for his fallen friend as a way of getting closure. "When I made the record, I was finally able to talk to him," Diddy said. "That's all it was, a conversation."
• "I'll Be Missing You" samples "Every Breath You Take" by The Police, one of Diddy's favorite songs. He didn't sort out the legal issues until after the song was released. Sting, who wrote the Police song, was granted a writers credit, resulting in substantial royalties. Sting appreciated the sentiment in Diddy using "Every Breath You Take" to honor his fallen friend. The Police frontman even performed the song with Diddy and his crew at the MTV Video Music Awards, where he sang the chorus.It's rumored that Sting makes about $2,000 a day from the sample, which he didn't deny when asked on The Breakfast Club in 2018. Diddy chimed in with an April 2023 tweet saying the figure was really $5,000, but he tweeted a couple of days later to clarify he was being "facetious" and having a little fun with his fans.
• Faith Evans, wife of Notorious B.I.G., sings on this along with the R&B group 112. They all recorded for P. Diddy's Bad Boy record label.
• This won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. No Way Out also won the Grammy for Best Rap Album. This didn't go over well with Wu-Tang Clan's Ol' Dirty Bastard, who came on stage during the ceremony while Shawn Colvin was accepting an award to complain. Said Bastard: "Puffy is good, but Wu-Tang is for the children."
• Combs was sued and settled with Albert Brumley and Sons, a gospel and country music publishing company that owned the rights to a 1929 song called "I'll Fly Away," which contained the line "Some glad morning when this life is over," which Evans sings in the chorus.
• It was later revealed that P. Diddy's lyrics were written by the rapper Sauce Money (Todd Gaither), who had previously worked with Jay-Z on the song "Show and Prove." Diddy didn't write lyrics - he laced the track and let other rappers lock the flow. Gaither drew inspiration from his mother, who had recently passed away.
• This song sold over 3 million copies in America, the second-biggest seller of 1997 in that country. It was a distant second to another tribute song: Elton John's "Candle In The Wind '97," which was re-written in honor of Princess Diana and went on to sell over 11 million copies in America.On July 1, 2007, Diddy performed "I'll Be Missing You" at the Concert for Diana held at Wembley Stadium in London. This performance was downloaded so many times that it returned the song to the UK chart, this time making #32.
• In America, this was the #1 song for most of the summer of 1997, claiming the top spot on June 14 and spending 11 weeks there ("Candle In The Wind '97" stayed for 14 weeks, starting October 11).
• The song topped the charts in numerous countries across the world, including Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, New Zealand UK and the US. It is the biggest selling rap single in the UK with over 1.4 million copies sold.
• Hype Williams shot the music video in Chicago, including several scenes in a passenger walkway tunnel at O'Hare International Airport. Williams also directed the Notorious B.I.G.'s "Big Poppa."
• Rap songs often overuse the word "bitch," but this touching tribute kept Meredith Brooks' song of that title out of the top spot for four weeks.
• BTS covered the song during their BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge debut on July 27, 2021. The K-Pop septet delivered a rocked-up version accompanied by a full band with additional guitars and drums.

• More songs from Puff Daddy
• More songs that use samples
• More songs involved in lawsuits
• More songs that are tributes to friends who died
• More songs with videos directed by Hype Williams
• More songs from 1997
• Lyrics to I'll Be Missing You
• Puff Daddy Artistfacts

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Comments: 114

• Hannah from Shelbyville TnThis isn't meant to take credit for the music. It's a collaboration of different songs from different genres of music meant to pay tribute to someone who passed.
• Chantelle Louise Pride from NottinghamshireListening to this song right now, it reminds me of my taekwondo teacher who passed away, and some of my friends who aren't here anymore too!
• Olumide Adeniyi from NigeriaI'll Be Missing You is my favorite song from Diddy because it contains Hip Hop/Rap,R&B,Gospel,New Wave,and Softrock deciding who goes to Heaven or Hell Fire after death.This song makes me cry with tears because it illustrates to the people we lost and miss them so dearly.I don't know if I'm going to die because perilous times is what I'm living in with everyone all around the world,it's better to repent of our sins before it's too late.May God forgive each and everyone including myself writing this information in Jesus name,Amen.
• Diddysucks from NycWell- Diddy steals Stings song- music only... but what about the rapper Sauce Money who writer the original lyrics to that song... he needs to sue all them.
• Ben Dover from Mike Oxlongthis is so sad. rip big fella :'(
• Justinas from Vilnius, LithuaniaWonderfull song. Here is my best cover for that song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gdSMPaJOf4
• Kyndall from Charlotte, Ncto Kayla from Winnipeg and brian from boston: you both apparently do not know that much about rap/hip-hop. rappers are artists. well some of them are anyways (like eminem). rap is just poetry. don't you understand? its not that hard. do NOT disrespect them. the majority of them have come from absolutely nothing. and look at them now. they are successful and are able to help their families. a lot of them are the first person to actually make something of themselves in their family. and a lot of teenagers use rap to help them cope with their emotions. i do. when i get mad or im upset, i listen to eminem and lil wayne and so much more. so before you diss rappers, think about the impact they have on so many people.
• Kayla from Winnipeg, MbWhoever said that Nick, Paramus, NJ is just jealous because he can't sing or "write his own songs".. yeah well this clown Puff Daddy or whatever the hell his name is now can either! Taking a riff from a classic song that was already around for years before is not original! As for Brian, Boston, MA.. I totally agree with everything you said!!!! No artists these days are original, they are all lazy idiots who "sample" other GOOD artists songs! And then these moron teens are always "Oh my gosh that song is SO good!" or "This song has awesome lyrics!".. yeah it does because it uses the melody/lyrics from a song that was around in the 70's/80's when music was still music, that's why it sounds so good!
• Brian from Boston, MaYeah it takes a very talented musician to steal a song written by someone else.That's all wrap music is.Talking into a microphone about how great they are while a song written by someone else that was a hit years before is playing in the background.Can any of these so called artist play an instrument? Heres a wild idea try writing your own song.Oh I'm sorry I forgot you can't because you don't know how to play guitar or piano or know anything about melody or songwriting.I noticed someone called this song brilliant.It was brilliant when Sting wrote it.
• Allie from Houston, Txthis is a very touching song was played at my brother Luis's funeral who past away on december 21,1998 he may be gone but never forgotten R.i.P brother we love&miss you very much your forever in our hearts
• Steven from San Antonio, TxWe miss you Big.It was all a dream
• Chloe from Cornwall, United Kingdomthis song is so amazing. i love the polices "every breath you take" as well but "i'll be missing you was released when i was young so i grew up listening to this song
• Jessica from St.louis, Mobiggie smalls 4eva!
• Nikki from Nowheres, IdR.I.P. Biggie!
• David from Youngstown, OhI'm on hold waiting to speak to someone and this is the song playing. Oh, God, what a terrible piece of crap! I'm glad that there are those who take comfort in the song. But this is just awful.
• Daniel from Nashville, TnOnce again Puff Diddy/Daddy/Doody has to borrow another musicians piece to lay his jibberjabber lyrics to. Rappers have no musical talent whatsoever. Every beat is not their own and all they can play is a synthesizer and yell profanity into the micropone. Its good to know though that rap will NO WAY, stand the test of time. Also good to know that all u wannabe gangbangers will be in prison, or dead by the time your 30!!
• Lauren from Adelaide, Australiai love this song...i just listen to it and then i was like 'im gonna go on the net and see what they say about the song' so yea now i am doing just that! RIP rachel spagnoletti...she was a girl in my class this year...year 12 and she died while on holidays with her family in america. she had an anurisum or however you spell it. nearly our whole school attended the funeral and there was a total of 1500 people there. our school formed a guard of honnor and it was so nice. i started crying as soon as i saw her friends cry. it is so sad. RIP rachel baby girl...we all miss you soooo much!