Kanye West appears to still be a viable candidate for the 2020 American presidential race, after filing the first of his paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission.

The 43-year-old rapper and producer filed his Statement of Organisation, despite reports that he had officially dropped out of the race. The independent party is listed as BDY – which, according to TMZ, is an acronym for Birthday Party – and the Oklahoma State Election Board said that West had qualified for the state's general election ballot.

West listed his ranch in Wyoming as the party's address.

Wednesday was the final deadline for independent presidential candidates to file their statements of candidacy, but the FEC noted that deadline had already passed in states like New Hampshire and North Carolina. When West initially announced his presidential run, he tweeted:"We must now realise the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States."