Songoftheday 10/20/20 - Seems like yesterday we used to rock the show, I laced the track you locked the flow...

 

 

"I'll Be Missing You" - Puff Daddy & Faith Evans featuring 112

from the album No Way Out (1997)

Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (eleven weeks)

Weeks in the Top-40: 29

 

Today's song of the day comes from rapper/record label head Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs, who had reached #1 in his own right with his first lead artist single "Can't Nobody Hold Us Down" in the spring of 1997. However as that record was peaking his protege/friend Christopher Wallace, aka rapper the Notorious B.I.G., was murdered in his car in Los Angeles. Delaying his album release allowed Combs to record a tribute song to Wallace with Biggie's wife Faith Evans and the vocal group 112. The result was "I'll Be Missing You", which completely cribbed the Police song "Every Breath You Take" (initially without songwriter Sting's permission) with verses written by Diddy collaborator Sauce Money (Todd Gaither). The event record was immediately embraced by radio and fans, and the single became the first rap record to come on to the Billboard official Hot 100 pop chart at the top spot...

"I'll Be Missing You" became Puff Daddy's second #1 hit, and the first(and only) for Evans and 112, in June of 1997. The single also spent two months (eight weeks) on top of Billboard magazine's R&B chart, as well as on the Rap Singles list. Internationally, the single topped the charts in the UK, Germany, Spain, Australia, the Netherlands, Sweden, Ireland, Switzerland, New Zealand, Austria, Belgium, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, and Romania. It also reached the top ten in France (#2), Italy (#2), Finland (#3), Canada (#4), and Hungary (#5). At the 1998 Grammy Awards, "I'll Be Missing You" won the trophy for Best Duo/Group Rap Performance. 

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Here's Combs performing the song on the MTV Music Video Awards with Evans, 112, and Sting (reaping those royalty checks)...

and lastly, at the Arista Anniversary show...

Up tomorrow: New jack swing brothers are elevated.