On Tuesday (Sept. 12) evening, MTV held its annual Video Music Awards in New Jersey’s Prudential Center, which saw appearances from a wealth of big names across all genres. One of the biggest guests of the night was Sean “Diddy” Combs, who received the Global Icon Award for his monumental contributions to music and culture. The moment marked his first appearance at MTV’s grand event since he handled hosting duties in 2005.
Following a heartfelt introduction from Mary J. Blige, the Harlem legend took to the stage to perform classics like “I’ll Be Missing You,” “It’s All About the Benjamins,” “Bad Boy For Life,” “Last Night,” “Mo Money Mo Problems,” and “I Need A Girl Part 2.” He was also joined on stage by Yung Miami, Keyshia Cole, his son King Combs, and daughters, D’Lila, Jessie and Chance.
Following the star-studded set, Diddy delivered an inspirational speech about his humble beginnings and longevity in his groundbreaking career. “Love wins, y’all. Love wins. This is so surreal,” he began. “I would be in the clubs dancing in New York, doing my Diddy bop, and then people would see me and they would cast me for videos. That’s how I fell in love with the music industry. I saw the executives and I wanted to chase that dream.”
He continued, “You just gotta keep dreaming. I know sometimes, you get hit with those hard things… I thank God for this choice that he made for me to be able to touch you with my music, give you a good time, make you dance, make you feel good, that’s the only intention.”
This Friday (Sept. 15), Diddy will bless the world with The Love Album: On The Grid, his first full-length body of work since 2015’s MMM (Money Makin Mitch). The Weeknd, Busta Rhymes, H.E.R., Ty Dolla $ign, Summer Walker, French Montana, and more will make appearances on the LP.
Check out Diddy’s performance and speech below! Congrats, King.