Hip-hop mogul and longtime hitmaker Diddy took the stage at the Prudential Center in New Jersey on Sunday night (Sept. 12), to perform a career-spanning medley of hits and accept this year’s MTV Global Icon award.
Introduced by an emotional Mary J. Blige as “someone who guided me throughout my career, gave me the courage, gave me the wisdom” and “a brother and a friend,” Diddy began his performance with a still-unreleased song he first teased in 2022. He then transitioned to a couple classics from his 1997 No Way Out blockbuster: the Notorious B.I.G.-tributing Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “I’ll Be Missing You” and the rap radio perennial “It’s All About the Benjamins.”
Diddy’s son King Combs then joined him on stage as his hits moved into the 2000s: First the Saga Continues 2001 smash “Bad Boy for Life,” and then 2002’s oft-resurrected “I Need a Girl (Part Two).” Yung Miami then took the stage for her verse on 2022’s “Gotta Move On” remix, followed by Keyshia Cole emerging to perform her powerhouse vocals from 2007’s “Last Night.”
After that, Combs and son enjoyed a dance break to the hook of Notorious B.I.G.’s “Mo Money, Mo Problems,” with King then performing Ma$e’s famous opening bars to the 1997 Hot 100-topper, and Diddy following with his own verse. Once the performance was over, Blige then invited Diddy’s daughter Chance to help present him with the Global Icon award.
Accepting the moonperson, an overwhelmed and extremely sweaty Diddy thanked the crowd for giving him his flowers, and called the award “a dream come true for me — I grew up watching MTV like, ‘Man, I wish one day I could be up there…’” He started the crowd on a “Baaaad Boyyyyy” chant, paid homage to the late Chucky Thompson and called it “truly a gift from God… to get to do what you love for 30 years consistently.” He ended his speech “in true Diddy fashion” by promoting his upcoming The Love Album: Off the Grid, out this Friday (Sept. 15).
Diddy is a six-time nominee and two-time winner at the VMAs, taking home best R&B video for “I’ll Be Missing You” at the 1997 awards and the viewer’s choice award for the “Benjamins” rock remix in 1998.
