Kanye West shares statement over Billboard Music Awards censorship

Kanye West has shared a statement to address his recent censorship on live television.

He performed ‘All Day’ and ‘Black Skinhead’ at the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday (17th May), with the production company heavily muting most of his appearance. On Monday, a source from the television network told TMZ that Kanye never did a dress rehearsal, saying the performance was a surprise.

West’s statement was shared via his representatives to Rolling Stone, and reads:

“Kanye West was grossly over-censored at the Billboard Music Awards. Non-profane lyrics such as “with my leather black jeans on” were muted for over 30 second intervals. As a result, his voice and performance were seriously misrepresented.

It is ridiculous that in 2015, unwarranted censorship is something that artists still have to fight against.

Although West was clearly set up to face elements beyond his control during the live broadcast, he would like to apologize to the television audience who were unable to enjoy the performance the way he envisioned.”

Watch the performance from the Billboard Music Awards below.