Sean “Diddy” Combs gets Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2022 BET event.
The 2022 BET Awards was special for Sean “Diddy” Combs as he was given the Lifetime Achievement Award for his illustrious career. To present the award to Diddy, Kanye West made a rare appearance at the event wearing a black mask.
“How do we crown our kings? How do we appreciate our kings? To think how far we could just make it off of inspiration,” said Ye. “This is my favorite artist. You see what I’m saying? Favorite artist. Everything. Not specifically production, the drip. You know back then it was so many rules to hip hop. He broke all of them. Broke down all the doors.”
“I go to him for advice to this day. He inspires so many of my choices, so many of my life choices. My wife choices,” he said in reference to ex-wife Kim Kardashian, “Thanks for that, Puff.”
Ye honoring Diddy with a heartfelt speech at the #BETAwards tonight. pic.twitter.com/aOUdRzBAmQ
— Ye Media (@KanyeMedia_) June 27, 2022
Kanye continued, “You know, I took a little hiatus. I said, I just want to declare myself legally dead for a year. I just want to be off the grid and Puff is pretty persistent, but I had to think, bro, it’s like, people get amnesia. Like I should never have Puff have to ever call more than one time. Any of us in this room if Puff ever need us, we need to jump and be there. This man has been through [and] survived a lot of stuff and broke down a lot of doors so we can be standing … he broke down so many doors of classism, taste, swag. Puff, if I never told you I love you, you’re my brother.”
“First of all, I want to thank god. God, thank you so much. Never leaving my side, keeping me in my purpose, keeping me godly, lifting me up off the ground,” said Diddy, before thanking his mother and “every artist, every producer, every writer, and every executive I had a chance to work. Thank you to all of my fans who have been with me for over 25 years. I love y’all. I love y’all.”
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“I’ve got this dream of Black people being free. I’ve got this dream of us controlling our own destiny. I’ve got this dream of us taking accountability and to stop killing each other. I’ve got this dream of us being rich and wealthy and living on the same block. I had this dream of us unifying, not just talk on the stages, but us — we know our community and our allies. If you are with us, don’t be silent. Put some money in the game,” he said towards the end of his speech.
Combs is just the second person to get the lifetime achievement award who rose to prominence as a rapper. He succeeds Queen Latifah, who earned the award last year. Since 2001, the award has been given every year save one. “Diddy has always been a pioneering force in our community, breaking barriers, achieving unprecedented heights, blazing new trails, and, in so doing, raising the bar for all of us,” BET CEO Scott Mills said in a statement. “His virtuosity is matched only by his range – from music to media, culture, business, and philanthropy. …We are delighted to have this opportunity to use our biggest stage to recognize the extraordinary accomplishments of our friend Diddy.”
Check out Diddy’s performance and speech below.
