On this day in music history: June 14, 1997 - “I’ll Be Missing You” by Puff Daddy Featuring Faith Evans & 112 hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 11 weeks, also topping the R&B singles chart for 8 weeks on the same date. Written by Sting, Faith Evans, Sean Combs, Albert E. Brumley, and Timothy Gaither. The song will be written as an elegy to the late rapper The Notorious B.I.G. who is murdered on March 9, 1997 while leaving a party being thrown by Vibe Magazine at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, CA. Fellow Bad Boy recording act The Lox (“Money, Power, Respect”) will be the catalyst for the tribute to the fallen rap star. Shortly after B.I.G.’s death, The Lox will record a tribute of their own titled “We’ll Always Love Big Poppa”, that will move Puffy to record a tribute of his own. Basing the song around a sample of The Police’s 1983 classic “Every Breath You Take”, Biggie’s widow Faith Evans will co-write and sing on the song with the rap verses being written by rapper Sauce Money (aka Timothy Gaither), and also borrowing the melody from the spiritual “I’ll Fly Away”. The track is produced by Stevie J of “The Hitmen”, and will be rush released on the heels of Puff Daddy’s chart topping single “Can’t Hold Nobody Me Down” in May of 1997. An immediate smash, the record will enter the Hot 100 and the R&B singles chart, becoming the second biggest selling single of the year (behind Elton John’s Princess Diana tribute “Candle In The Wind 1997”). In September of 1997, Puff Daddy, Faith Evans and 112 will peform “I’ll Be Missing You” on the MTV Video Music Awards with Sting singing the first verse of “Every Breath You Take”. The single will win a Grammy Award in 1998 for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. “I’ll Be Missing You” is certified 3x Platinum in the US by the RIAA.
Posted on: Sun, 15 Jun 2014 02:18:44 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015