After a multi-month hiatus, Kanye West made a surprise public appearance to recognize Sean “Diddy” Combs for his cultural impact. The tribute took place as part of the 2022 BET Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. What did Ye say to the Bad Boy legend, from one music mogul to another?

Sunday night, June 26, the 22nd edition of the annual BET Awards acknowledged key figures in Black Entertainment.

While artists like The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar, and Will Smith were awarded for their recent entertainment contributions, Sean “Diddy” Combs received the greatest recognition of all.

Specifically, Diddy won the Lifetime Achievement Award, accompanied by a heartfelt speech by the one and only Kanye “Ye” West.

Kanye West’s surprise appearance in honor of Diddy’s Lifetime Achievement Award

While Ye has had some controversial award show appearances in the past, he now let the awardee finish.

This time around, it’s easy to see that Kanye’s appreciation for Diddy is as long-lasting as the achievements under the Bad Boy founder’s belt.

“How do we crown our kings? […] This is my favorite artist. You see I’m saying favorite artist — everything, not specifically production, the trip. Back then there was so many rules to hip-hop and he broke all of them.”

— Kanye West surprise speech for Diddy at BET Awards 2022

Prior to Kanye West’s surprise show-up at the 2022 BET Awards, Diddy’s long-term influence was celebrated with an intricate performance.

Industry icons Mary J. Blige, Lil Kim, Faith Evans, and more took the stage in a tribute that is currently one of the top 10 trending videos on YouTube:

Sean “Diddy” Combs has been in the music industry for more than 30 years. During this time, he has left a permanent mark on hip-hop culture through solo and collective efforts alike.

The prolific artist, executive, and entrepreneur has won a myriad of awards throughout the years. In addition to his 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award, his lengthy list of honors includes:

• Best New Artist, Best Rap Album, and Best Rhythm & Blues Song at the 40th Annual Academy Awards in 1998;
• Executive Producer of three of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: Ready to Die, My Life, and Life After Death;
• Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special for A Raisin in the Sun at the NAACP Image Awards in 2009.

Featured image sources: 1) Kanye West by NRK P3, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0, via Flickr; 2) Sean “Diddy” Combs by Shamsuddin Muhammad, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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