Kanye West Makes Surprise Appearance During 2022 BET Awards Diddy Tribute

Kanye West, who has been making limited public appearances, suddenly took the stage to the audience’s surprise at the 2022 BET Awards Sunday night. The rapper referenced his “hiatus” in the speech, and that he “wanted to declare myself legally dead for a year,” amid his bitter public divorce from Kim Kardashian,

The surprise Kanye feature came up during a sweeping tribute to Sean “Diddy” Combs, the notorious rapper, entrepreneur and founder of Bad Boy Records who has been active in hip-hop since the early 90s. Diddy received the BET Lifetime Achievement award for his contributions to the music industry.

West presented Combs’ award along with Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, following performances by a ton of artists he has worked with or influenced over the years, like Mary J. Blige, Nas, Lil’ Kim, Faith Evans, Busta Rhymes, and more.

After the concerts, West gave a long speech calling Diddy “my favorite artist,” and adding, “Back then there was so many rules to hip-hop and he broke all of them … I go to him for advice to this day. He inspired so many of my choices. So many of my life choices. My wife choices. And here we are. Thanks for that, Puff.”

His speech also touched on Combs’ multiple-stage names, saying with a bizarre intro “I was at the dentist and I was taking nitrous oxide. I wouldn’t suggest it if anybody is stressed out. And I thought I know how it is to want to change your name. You might know him as Diddy, Puff Daddy, Sean Combs. But when it’s hitting a certain point, I thought at the end of it, all is love––all of it.”

Combs also gave a passionate speech after being presented with his award Sunday night. He thanked his mother Janice Combs, who was in the audience. Diddy described how much his mother worked saying she “was helping cerebral palsy patients at night in the night shift. Getting up, and being a bus driver, then going to work at a clothing store, then going back. I don’t even know when she slept.”

At the end of his speech, Diddy pledged a $1 million donation to Howard University and an additional million for the Jackson State University football program coached by Deion Sanders. You can watch the full acceptance speech below.