Sean Combs, a.k.a. Diddy, received the Global Icon award at the 2023 Video Music Awards, held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, last night.
Diddy delivered an electrifying performance on stage, his first on the VMAs since 2005, by revisiting some of his biggest hits. “I’ll Be Missing You,” “Bad Boy for Life,” “I Need a Girl (Part Two),” and “Last Night,” featuring special guest Keyshia Cole, were among the songs performed. Diddy paid tribute to Notorious B.I.G. with a crowd-pleasing performance of “Mo Money, Mo Problems.”
Quincy Brown, Diddy’s son, performed with his father. “The anticipation has been crazy; I’ve been the rehearsals with my pops,” he told EBONY before taking the stage, adding that he gets sentimental and keeps his shades on, “so I don’t cry.”
Mary J. Blige had the honor of introducing the hip hop legend. “Puff’s impact on pop culture is immeasurable. His iconic music videos redefine the form. His global influence is forever felt across the entire music industry,” she shared.
Surrounded by his children and award in hand, Diddy shared his journey to the VMAs and stardom with the audience. “I remember watching MTV like, man, I wish one day I could be up there,” he exclaimed, adding that a football injury led him to the clubs.
“I would be the club’s dancing, doing my Diddy Bop. And people would see me, and they would cast me in videos, and that’s how I fell in love with the music industry…I wanted to chase that dream. So, I want to thank every executive, every producer, every songwriter, and I got to thank the Bad Boy family; without them, I would not be up here.”
For the first time, the Video Music Awards included an Afrobeats category. Nigerian singer Rema and Selena Gomez took home the Best Afrobeats award for their collab “Calm Down.” Other big wins of the night included Ice Spice for Best New Artist, awards host Nicki Minaj with Best Hip Hop Video for “Super Freaky Girl” and SZA with Best R&B for “Shirt.”
The show closed out with a tribute to the 50th anniversary of hip hop featuring Grandmaster Flash, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne and LL Cool J and other icons.
