It was 1997. The world was mourning. Music changed forever when I'll Be Missing You hit the airwaves. You couldn't go anywhere without hearing those opening notes—that recognizable, melancholy guitar riff borrowed from The Police. It wasn’t just a song. It was a cultural moment, a public funeral, and a massive legal headache all rolled into one. Honestly, it’s one of the most complicated legacies in hip-hop history.
Most people remember it as Puff Daddy’s tribute to his best friend, The Notorious B.I.G., who was gunned down in Los Angeles on March 9, 1997. But the track is so much deeper than just a "sad song." It basically defined the late 90s "shiny suit" era while simultaneously capturing the raw grief of a community that had just lost its king.
The Grief Behind the Beat
When Biggie Smalls was murdered, the rap world stopped spinning. Faith Evans, Biggie’s estranged wife at the time, was devastated. Sean "Puffy" Combs (now Diddy) was arguably even more lost. He was the architect of Biggie’s career. Without Biggie, Bad Boy Records was just a label without its lighthouse.
Puffy didn't just want to mourn privately; he wanted a monument. He called up Faith Evans and 112 to record a track that would bridge the gap between street-level hip-hop and mainstream pop sentimentality. He chose to sample "Every Breath You Take" by The Police. It was a risky move, mostly because he didn't actually ask for permission first.
The song resonates because it’s vulnerable. You hear Faith Evans’ soaring vocals, which were recorded in just a few takes while she was still visibly shaking from the loss. It feels real. It doesn't feel like a studio-manufactured hit, even though it went on to become one of the best-selling singles of all time.
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Every Move I Make: The Sting of the Sample
Here is where the business side gets messy. Puffy used the melody from "Every Breath You Take" without clearing the rights beforehand. Sting, the lead singer and songwriter of The Police, basically hit the jackpot because of this mistake.
Because the sample wasn't cleared, Sting was legally allowed to claim 100% of the publishing royalties for the song. Think about that for a second. Every single time you hear I'll Be Missing You on the radio, in a grocery store, or on a streaming playlist, Sting gets paid. Every cent of the songwriting royalties goes to him, not Puffy, not Faith, not Biggie's estate.
Sting famously joked that the song paid for his kids' college tuitions. In a 2023 tweet, Diddy even claimed he pays Sting $5,000 a day in royalties, though he later clarified he was joking about the specific number. Still, the reality is that it remains one of the most expensive "mistakes" in music history. It’s a textbook example of why clearing samples is the first thing any producer should do.
A Different Kind of Sound
Musically, the song was a departure. Hip-hop in the mid-90s was often gritty and aggressive. This was soft. It was gospel-adjacent. By pulling in the group 112 for the chorus and bridge, Puffy created a "bridge" song. It allowed people who didn't even like rap to feel the weight of Biggie's death.
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- The Intro: A spoken word prayer that sets the tone.
- The Chorus: Faith Evans repurposing Sting’s lyrics into a eulogy.
- The Verse: Puffy’s flow is simple, almost conversational, like he's talking directly to Biggie’s ghost.
It worked. The song spent eleven weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. It won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. It was everywhere.
Why We Are Still Talking About It in 2026
You might wonder why a song from nearly 30 years ago still pops up in Discover feeds and playlists. It’s because the "tribute song" has become its own genre, and I'll Be Missing You is the gold standard. Whenever a major artist passes away now, the industry looks for a way to capture that same collective mourning. We saw it with Wiz Khalifa’s "See You Again" for Paul Walker. We see it in the way Juice WRLD or Pop Smoke are remembered.
But there’s a nuance here. The song also represents the transition of hip-hop into the "Pop" sphere. Before this, rap was still fighting for a seat at the table. This song forced the table to move. It proved that a rap record could be the biggest song in the world by leaning into universal emotions like loss and longing.
The Controversy of the Ghostwriter
It’s an open secret in the industry that Sauce Money (Todd Gaither) actually wrote Puffy’s verses for the song. Sauce Money was a close associate of Jay-Z and a talented lyricist in his own right. He captured Puffy’s voice so well that most people at the time didn't realize the words weren't Puffy's own.
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This brings up an interesting debate about authenticity in art. If the person performing the song didn't write the words, is the grief still real? Most fans would argue yes. Puffy’s delivery, the cracks in his voice, and the context of the situation made the performance authentic, even if the pen belonged to someone else.
The Cultural Impact and Biggie’s Legacy
Christopher Wallace (Biggie) only released one album during his lifetime. Life After Death was released just weeks after he died. I'll Be Missing You acted as the emotional anchor for that entire era. It kept Biggie's name in the headlines and ensured that his children would be taken care of through the massive sales of his own posthumous albums, even if the royalties for this specific tribute went to Sting.
The song also solidified Diddy as a mogul. It showed he could take tragedy and turn it into a global phenomenon. Whether you view that as opportunistic or a beautiful way to honor a friend is a matter of perspective. Most people who lived through it remember the feeling of that summer—the feeling that a giant was gone.
What You Should Do Next
If you want to truly understand the depth of this track, don't just stream the radio edit. You need to look deeper into the history of the Bad Boy era and the specific technicalities of music publishing that make this song a case study in law schools today.
- Watch the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards performance. It features a full choir and Sting himself joining Puffy on stage. It is perhaps the most iconic live tribute in the history of the awards show.
- Listen to "Every Breath You Take" by The Police immediately followed by the tribute. Notice the subtle changes in the arrangement. Puffy added a heavier drum line and a more melodic bass, transforming a song about a stalker into a song about a lost brother.
- Read up on the Notorious B.I.G. estate. Understanding how Biggie’s family managed his legacy after his death provides a lot of context for why songs like this were necessary for the brand's survival.
- Check out Sauce Money’s other work. If you like the lyricism in the verses, you'll find he was one of the most underrated writers of the 90s New York scene.
The song remains a staple for a reason. It’s the sound of a period in time when hip-hop was growing up and dealing with its first major tragedies on a global stage. It’s messy, expensive, and deeply emotional. It’s exactly what music should be.
Actionable Insight: If you are a creator or musician, let this be your lesson: always clear your samples. While Diddy made millions in fame and brand equity, the literal cash from the songwriting went elsewhere. In the modern era of Content ID and digital footprints, being legally sound is just as important as being emotionally resonant. Keep your masters, but respect the publishing.