Kanye West said he was "grossly over-censored" during his performance at the Billboard Music Awards. A statement written on behalf of the rapper's publicist said lyrics such as "with my leather black jeans on" were muted for over 30-secod intervals, leading to the performance being "seriously misrepresented."

Kanye WestKanye West says he was heavily censored during his Billboard Music Awards performance

The rapper had appeared at the awards on May 17 to perform All Day and Black Skinhead, though ABC cut out large chunks.

West's statement added: "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 apologise to the television audience who were unable to enjoy the performance the way he envisioned."

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The rapper maintains that ABC cut his audio even when he wasn't dropping profanities. 

Show reports suggested that Kanye was booed at the start and end of his performance with Allan Kingdom and Theophilus London. ABC and show producer Dick Clark Productions have yet to comment on West's remarks.

As TMZ.com reported, Kanye did not attend the final rehearsal for his performance as doctors had him on vocal rest. He even required a cortisone injection over the weekend. Criticism that Kanye was literally unseen in his performance appears to be down to the fact that he gave producers a specific note about changing lighting and camera angles.

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