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Did MTV censor Nicki Minaj to keep VMAs’ TV-14 rating?

Nicki Minaj did everything to make her MTV VMAs performance as racy as possible, but couldn’t get a “mature audiences” rating from the network.

Sources tell us Minaj pushed to get the “TV-MA” rating for her writhing, twerk-filled routine to her song “Anaconda.” The video features the female rapper in a thong, giving Drake a lap dance. But MTV carefully filmed Minaj’s performance on the VMAs — rated TV-14 — with strategic camera angles focusing on her upper body.

The network last year took heat over Miley Cyrus’ raunchy number with Robin Thicke and sources believe the suits took steps to prevent any furor from scolds this year.

“It wasn’t as racy as we were anticipating,” admitted Melissa Henson, director of the Parents Television Council. “What we were expecting to see was what was in the video — a guy up on the stage and her performing lap dances.”

She added, “Her costume was less revealing during the VMAs than it was in the music video. The elements were there, but the most offensive content was edited out. Whether Nicki Minaj had anything to do with that or MTV or network standards and practices, I don’t know, but we were relieved to see that it wasn’t as bad as it might have been.”

But an MTV spokesperson denied there was any conversation between Minaj and the network about racy content for her performance, and Minaj’s rep didn’t get back to us.