Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs' Daughter Presents Him with Global Icon Award at the 2023 VMAs: 'Dream Come True'

Diddy performed a medley of his greatest hits including "I'll Be Missing You" and "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down"

MTV honored Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs' legacy Tuesday night, presenting him with the Global Icon Award at the 2023 VMAs.

Diddy, 53, took the stage at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, to accept the award and perform at the show for the first time since 2005. The rap giant worked his way through a slew of greatest hits — including "Another One of Me," "I'll Be Missing You," "It's All About the Benjamins," "Last Night" and "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" — with some assistance from Yung Miami and Keyshia Cole, as well as his song King Combs, 25.

After his set, Diddy received his special Moon Person trophy from his longtime friend Mary J. Blige and his eldest daughter Chance, 17. (His 16-year-old twin daughters D'Lila and Jessie were also on hand to support their dad.)

"This is what's up. Love wins ya'll. Love wins. This is so surreal, I appreciate ya'll coming and giving me my flowers and celebrating me," he said in his acceptance speech as he brandished his Moon Person trophy. "Of course I have to thank God because that's my secret weapon. This is a dream come true for me. I grew up watching MTV like, 'Man, I wish one day I could be up there,' and I started out as a paper boy. I didn't know I was going to be here."

Related: Diddy Invests $2 Million in HBCU Football Team and Financial Literacy Fund

Diddy also recalled his dreams of becoming an NFL star, which came crashing down when he broke his leg.

"I got depressed. 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," he said. "You gotta keep dreaming. Sometimes we get hit with those hard things."

He added, "God made another choice, and I thank God for this choice that he made. For me to people to touch you with my music. Give you a good time, make you dance, make you feel good — that's the only intention."

He concluded his speech by promoting his upcoming record, The Love Album: Off the Grid.

Check out PEOPLE's full MTV VMAs coverage to get the latest news on music’s big night.

“He's a legend in hip hop, a multi-industry mogul, and now… the GLOBAL ICON at this year’s #VMAs,” MTV tweeted on Sept. 5 ahead of the event.

Diddy founded his own label, Bad Boy Records, in 1993 after leaving Howard University to intern at Uptown Records. The label was behind groups and artists like Faith Evans, Mase, 112 and the late Notorious B.I.G. — all of whom dominated the charts in the ‘90s and beyond.

The “Act Bad” artist made headlines last week when he reportedly “decided to reassign his Bad Boy publishing rights back to all Bad Boy artists and writers who helped build Bad Boy into the powerhouse it is today,” a source close to the situation confirmed to Variety at the time.

For this year’s VMAs, Combs was nominated in four categories — his track “Creepin' (Remix)” with Metro Boomin, The Weeknd and 21 Savage is nominated for both best collaboration and best R&B. “Gotta Move On,” his single with Bryson Tiller, Ashanti and Yung Miami, is also nominated in the categories, best collaboration and best hip-hop.

On Friday, Diddy’s latest project The Love Album: Off the Grid will be released; it features an A-list group of collaborators, Justin Bieber, The Weeknd, Dirty Money, Teyana Taylor, longtime friend Mary J. Blige and more.

Related: Demi Lovato, Karol G, Måneskin and Stray Kids Revealed as 2023 MTV Video Music Awards Performers

The first Global Icon Award was given to The Foo Fighters in 2021. Last year, The Red Hot Chilli Peppers took home the honor and dedicated their trophy to late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who died in March 2022 at age 50.

The 2023 MTV VMAs are airing live from The Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on Tuesday, Sept. 12 on CBS and BET, BET Her, VH1, Comedy Central, CMT, Logo, MTV, MTV2, Nickelodeon and Paramount Network. Viewers can also catch the show through an MTV.com live stream or on Paramount+.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.