On June 26, many of Black Hollywood gathered for the Annual BET Awards hosted by Taraji P. Henson at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, CA. The BET Awards is a time to honor Black excellence in music, film, television, and sports. The night was filled with excitement as many stars blazed the stage with creative, high-energy performances. There were performances by Lizzo, Chloe Bailey, Kirk Franklin & Maverick City, Doechii, Chance the Rapper, and Jack Harlow with Lil Wayne and Brandy.
There were a plethora of deserving nominees from various categories with winners including The Weeknd (Best Male R&B/Pop Artist), Megan Thee Stallion (Best Female Hip Hop Artist), Kendrick Lamar (Best Male Hip Hop Artist), Latto (Best New Artist), Lil Baby & Kirk Franklin, King Richard (film), Marsai Martin (Youngstars Award), Will Smith (Best Actor), Naomi Osaka (Sportswoman of the Year Award) and many more.
The night's highlight, however, was the Lifetime Achievement Award which honored Sean "Diddy" Combs. Babyface and Kanye West presented Diddy with his award. Kanye West, a long-time supporter of Diddy, had deep sentiments regarding Diddy's journey. He started with:
"How do we crown our kings? How do we appreciate our kings? To think how far we can just make it off of inspiration? "I just need to meet this man, this is my favorite artist… back then, there were so many rules to hip-hop, and he broke all of them…and broke down all the doors … he broke down so many doors of classism, taste, culture, swag."
The love was real, and Diddy couldn't contain his excitement. From this high honor, the warm sentiments from presenters, the enthusiastic support of the audience, and years of diligent work, Diddy exploded with pure Black joy, which resulted in him jumping four times and exclaiming, "yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!
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His excitement was real, and his joy was electrifying—what a way to start a recognition speech. "Anything I do is through God, and anything I do is through love; if it wasn't for God, I wouldn't be here. He thanked his Mother, Andre Harrell (a father figure), Heavy D..."
He paused and continued, "I just miss Kim y'all, you know what I'm saying. And I know we all go through grief and stuff like that, and it's like, you know. Stay connected to God, and He'll bring you out. This is not, this is not… we don't control this, I miss Kim so much, and I want to say thank you to Kim…
The late Kim Porter was Diddy’s longtime girlfriend and the mother of three of his children. In November 2018, at 47, Kim passed away from Lobar pneumonia after feeling sick for three days.
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According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, pneumonia is an infection of one or both lungs caused by bacteria, viruses, or fungi. It is a severe infection in which the air sacs fill with pus and other liquid. Lobar pneumonia, on the other hand, affects one or more sections (lobes) of the lungs. Someone with pneumonia may experience difficulty breathing, chills, and coughs with phlegm.
Symptoms can include a confused mental state or delirium - more prominent in older adults. Other symptoms are fever, loss of appetite, difficulty breathing, chills, loss of appetite, chest pains, shortness of breath, and excessive sweating.
People with preexisting conditions, smokers, toddlers, and the elderly are at risk for pneumonia. However, minor respiratory infections can be assuaged with over-the-counter medicine.
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Pneumonia is diagnosed based on medical history and physical exams. Diagnoses are confirmed through chest x-rays, blood tests, sputum cultures, pulse oximetry, chest CT scans, bronchoscopies, or pleural fluid cultures.
Once diagnosed, treatment can take place at home using antibiotics or, in extreme cases, under the care of a medical team at a hospital.
The 2022 BET Awards was one for the books - It was a night of honor, celebrations, and recognition that spanned decades of continued success. Though the Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed upon Diddy, he paid tribute to Kim in the most loving way. He ended his honor, honoring Kim with "I’ll Be Missing You" performed alongside Faith Evans.
