BTS’s RM Reveals The Reason Why They Chose To Cover Sean “Diddy” Combs And Faith Evans’ “I’ll Be Missing You”

At first, he felt burdened to cover the song due to its significance.

BTS recently appeared on BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge to perform their hit songs “Dynamite” and “Permission to Dance.” They also covered “I’ll Be Missing You” by Puff Daddy, Faith Evans, and 112.

BTS | BBC Radio 1

“I’ll Be Missing You” was recorded by American rapper Puff Daddy (also known as Sean Combs and P. Diddy), singer Faith Evans, and R&B group 112. It samples English rock band the Police‘s “Every Breath You Take” and includes a choral version of American composer Samuel Barber‘s “Adagio for Strings” during its spoken intro.

The song was a huge hit as it became “one of the best-selling singles of all time.” it spent eleven weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States and even reached number one in fifteen other countries. It ultimately won the Grammy award for “Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group” at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards.

“I’ll Be Missing You” was originally recorded as a tribute for their fellow Bad Boy Records artist and the husband of Evans’, legendary rapper Christopher “The Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace (also known as Biggie Smalls or Biggie), after his tragic death in 1997 from a murder. As a result, the song holds great meaning, particularly within the black community. So, some fans were hesitant when they heard that BTS would cover the song. Other fans were commenting on the original song’s music video, saying they just discovered it because of BTS or “here because of BTS,” which made black fans feel the original song was being disrespected.

Despite this, many fans were also happy to hear about the cover, especially knowing BTS themselves have always been respectful in their previous covers.

When interviewed by the BBC, BTS was asked about their cover song choice and its significance. Leader RM revealed that they would be covering “I’ll Be Missing You” and that they were well-aware of the song’s cultural significance. As a result, he felt hesitancy and burden about covering it.

It was a tribute, so you know, at first, we kind of like had some burdens in our mind since it’s a tribute to the legend Notorious B.I.G….

— RM

Barron Claiborne, Notorious B.I.G. as the K.O.N.Y (King of New York)| Sotheby’s

He said that ultimately they chose to go with the song because it seemed so right for the group as it had both rap and vocals. And, he felt the lyrics contained exactly the message they wanted to deliver to fans.

But the lyrics and the vibe just felt so right for us, and there was some rap and vocals together at the same time. And, it’s … a very famous song. It hit the Billboard No. 1, so that’s why we chose this song. And we just want to say that we miss all of you, BBC …  ARMYs, everyone abroad, of course, in Korea too. …It’s kind of like a message to all of the ARMYs all over the world.

— RM

BTS’s RM | BBC Radio 1

ARMYs ended up loving the cover, saying that it was as great as their cover of Coldplay‘s “Fix You.”

Check out BTS’s cover of “I’ll Be Missing You” below:

Listen to a portion of the interview below:

Check out ARMY reactions to the performance below:

Here’s 10+ Of The Best ARMY Reactions To BTS On BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge

Source: BBC Radio 1, Wikipedia, BBC and

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