Last night, BET aired its annual BET Honors special, in which the network pays tribute to black visionaries in popular culture. This year’s special included Usher, Phylicia Rashad, Microsoft chairman John Thompson, and National Museum of African Art director Johnnetta B. Cole, and Kanye West. The Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder and early Kanye mentor Damon Dash gave a speech introducing him, and in an introductory video, people like Jay Z, Kendrick Lamar, Common, and Kanye’s wife Kim Kardashian all said nice things about him. In his nine-minute acceptance speech, Kanye spoke a bit about racism, about the enduring mental weight of racism, and about how he just always wants to make “dope stuff.” Watch Kanye’s acceptance speech below. (Warning: It autoplays.)

Watch Dame Dash’s speech here and the introductory video here.