Kanye West Responds to Billboard Awards Censorship

Kanye West‘s rep has released a statement to respond to the backlash over his bleeped out performance at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards this past weekend.

The 37-year-old appear was censored for nearly half of the “All Day” and “Black Skinhead” performance and it was also difficult to see him due to poor lighting.

VIDEO: Watch Kanye West‘s full performance from the awards show

“Kanye West was grossly over-censored at the Billboard Music Awards,” the statement reads (via Billboard). “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,” the statement continues. “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.”