“I’ll Be Missing You” by Puff Daddy & Faith Evans (ft. 112)
As you may already know, what prompted the creation of “I’ll Be Missing You” was the death of a popular rapper, the Notorious B.I.G. (1972-1997), during March of 1997. Technically speaking Diddy was B.I.G.’s label boss. But for all intents and purposes they were more along the lines of musical partners – a hip-hop version of Hall & Oates, if you will. Or stated otherwise they were friends whose career trajectories into superstardom were intertwined. So logically speaking, Notorious’s death had a profound impact on Diddy. And accordingly, since Biggie is the intended recipient of the lyrics, the wording of the song reflects that reality as well as, to a lesser extent, their personal history together.
But as stated in the intro, Diddy is not only dedicating the track to B.I.G. Rather the sentiments expressed are on behalf of “everyone that has lost someone”, i.e. a loved one who has passed away. And what the vocalist(s) is saying conclusively, as the title suggests, is that he will always miss the addressee. So simply put, Diddy comes off as someone who is coming to grips with the departure of a close friend. And in doing so, he is telling said individual that he is looking forward to meeting him again in the afterlife.
Facts about “I’ll Be Missing You”
This song actually came out as part of the first (and only) album from Puff Daddy & The Family, which is entitled “No Way Out”. The Family were an informal collective of rappers (Mase, The LOX and Black Rob) who were signed under P. Diddy’s Bad Boy Records at the time.
“I’ll Be Missing You” was the second single released from that album. The labels that put it out, on the date of 27 May 1997, are Bad Boy Records and Arista Records.
It’s safe to presume, despite their many hits, that “I’ll Be Missing You” is the most-successful single to have ever come out of the Bad Boy camp. For instance, the song reached number 1 in close to 20 countries. In fact it topped the charts in about 95% of the countries it charted in.
This included doing so on the UK Singles Chart and Billboard Hot 100 – a feat only only the greatest tracks tend to accomplish. Indeed it was the highest-selling song in the United States during 1997. Additionally it set the record for the best-selling rap single in UK history. Furthermore, as of 2013, it holds the distinction of being 22nd on the all-time list of highest-selling songs in the United Kingdom. Moreover it has gone multi-Platinum in almost 10 countries.
One of the main reasons this track proved to be so popular is because it relies heavily (in terms of sampling and interpolation) on another classic tune. That would be The Police’s 1983 hit “Every Breath You Take“. Indeed Puffy has gone on to say that the impact “Every Breath You Take” had on him after Biggie’s death ‘kinda saved his life’.
Writing Credits for “I’ll Be Missing You”
By virtue of the above, Sting is acknowledged as one of the co-writers of “I’ll Be Missing You”. The others are co-star Faith Evans (i.e. Notorious B.I.G.’s widow) and Sauce Money. In other words, Sauce Money, another (non-Bad Boy) NYC rapper, wrote Puff Daddy’s verses.
Diddy, who was always more of a producer than a rapper, also served such a role on I’ll Be Missing You. And the other co-producer is Stevie J.
Music Video
Hype Williams, the top hip-hop music video producer during the 1990s, served such a role on the official video to “I’ll Be Missing You”. And said visual was filmed in Chicago.
Did “I’ll Be Missing You” win a Grammy?
Yes. It earned P. Diddy a Grammy Award, specifically in the category of “Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group“.
