Kanye West made a rare public appearance at the BET Awards on Sunday (June 26).
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To make his appearance even more strange, the rapper was dressed head to toe in all black, including a black mask with black glasses over it. The get-up resembles the one he wore at his residency in Mercedes-Benz Stadium while he was finishing his Donda album.
At the BET Awards, West joined Sean “Diddy” Combs on stage to present him his lifetime achievement award along with Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds.
West made a speech honoring Combs, saying “How do we crown our kings? How do we appreciate our kings?” He continued describing what Combs meant to him pronouncing that, “This is my favorite artist. You see what I’m saying? Favorite artist. Everything. Not specifically production. The drip. You know then it was so many rules to hip hop. He broke all of them. Broke down the doors.”
Not only did Combs influence Ye’s artistry, but he also mentioned how Combs influenced his choices in life. West couldn’t go a night without mentioning his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, as he said, “I go to him for advice to this day. He inspires so many of my choices, so many of my life choices. My wife choices. Thanks for that Puff.”
The BET Awards mark the rapper’s first award show appearance since his ban from the Grammy’s earlier this year, despite his multiple nominations. West’s questionable behavior toward Kim K led to his ban.
Kanye took to harassing Kardashian’s new boyfriend, Pete Davidson, over social media this year. He went too far by making threats that resulted in Instagram banning him. Also, a music video for “Eazy” that was taken down because it included West engaging in violence on a claymation version of Davidson.
To conclude the show, Combs played a video message from his late wife Kim Porter when he was receiving his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and gave a heart-warming rendition of “I’ll Be Missing You.”
“I can’t tell you how proud I am of you, from Harlem to Hollywood, that’s a long journey. And I can only think of of one person, wait, you know what, you’re the only person I can think of that’s so deserving of this star,” she said in the video. “You worked so hard and I’ve watched you with blood, sweat, and tears and… you’ve arrived.”
Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images for BET
