The US rapper took to the stage on Sunday night with powerful renditions of hits “All Day” and “Black Skinhead”, only for producers to bleep out more than a minute for fear of broadcasting offensive words.
“It’s ridiculous that in 2015, unwarranted censorship is something that artists still have to fight against,” read a statement from Yeezy’s representative.
“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.
“Although West was clearly set up to face elements beyond his control during the live broadcast, he would like to apologise to the television audience who were unable to enjoy the performance the way he envisioned.”
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Kanye encountered similar problems at the Brit Awards in February when he was again heavily censored for bad language.
TV watchdog Ofcom received 126 complaints after a couple of profanities slipped through the net, while others were left disappointed by the continuous sound interruptions.
ABC is yet to comment on Kanye’s response to the Billboard Music Awards censorship.
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