Can’t stop, won’t stop.
Sean “Diddy” Combs received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2022 BET Awards and he received an all-star tribute fit for a king, starting with JAY-Z.
“Here’s this guy from a neighborhood similar to where I grown up that made it to these unreachable heights,” said Hov while honoring his fellow icon in the opening video montage. “Puff was the first one that came through and made us feel like it was us.”
Jodeci kicked off the musical salute by taking it back to Puff’s Uptown Records days with a performance of “Come & Talk to Me,” followed by Mary J. Blige, who belted out her My Life classic “I’m Goin’ Down.”
Puff himself emerged to “Victory” before Shyne made a surprise appearance for “Bad Boyz.” Lil’ Kim hit the stage for her verse from “It’s All About the Benjamins” before Busta Rhymes made the crowd jump with “Pass the Courvoisier,” changing the lyrics from “Pass the Courvoisier” to “Pass the Ciroc this way.”
Diddy gave fans a peak into his next era, the Love era, with his new single “Gotta Move On” with Bryson Tiller.
Following a video from Diddy’s late ex Kim Porter, Diddy performed “I’ll Be Missing You” with Faith Evans, dedicating it to Porter, who died in 2007.
“Baby girl Kim, this one’s for you,” he said.
Babyface took the stage to honor Puff before introducing surprise guest Kanye West, who walked out in a ski mask and sunglasses, explaining that only Puff could get him to come out of his hiatus.
“I was signed to Puff without him knowing,” Ye joked while reflecting on Diddy’s impact. “He inspires so many of my life choices, my wife choices.”
He continued to pay homage to the Bad Boy icon for breaking barriers. “This man has broke down a lot of doors,” he said. “He broke doors of classism, taste, culture, swag.”
While accepting the award, Diddy acknowledged all those who have come in and out of his life, including Biggie, Andre Harrell, and Kim Porter, as well as his ex Cassie “for holding me down in the dark times.” Diddy’s current love interest, Yung Miami, was in the front row cheering him on, holding up a sign that said, “Go Papi.”
“I got this dream of Black people being free. I got this dream of us controlling our own destiny,” said Puff, who ended his speech by announcing that he’s donating $2 million to HBCUs.