West 'wasn't violent' with LA paparazzo
Kanye West has lambasted the paparazzo he clashed with at Los Angeles International Airport last year, accusing the snapper of making the incident a "bigger deal" than it really was.
The 'Stronger' rapper was arrested along with his manager following the run-in in September. They were charged with felony vandalism after reportedly smashing a photographer's camera, but the charges were later dropped by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office.
But West, who was arrested on a second, similar occasion in England in November, insists he isn't a confrontational person.
He told Vibe magazine: "I haven't done anything violent. They make it seem like I actually went and hit paparazzi. I haven't. I was restrained. I'm good at restraining myself from committing violent acts.
"I know how to control my temper. That one paparazzo made it a bigger deal. I just put my hand up, and he felt like he had more right to my personal space than I did. I put my hand up to stop him from shooting me."
And the hip-hop star is calling on lawmakers to bring the paparazzi into line by imposing restrictions on what and where they can shoot.
He added: "Even when I first dropped, paparazzi wasn't as crazy. The law hasn't caught up with the internet. People are just taking advantage.
"People don't realise we're completely intruding on these people's spaces and nobody's saying anything, so let's keep doing it.
"(Cigarettes) have a Surgeon General's warning on it. We need a Surgeon General's warning on some of those lens caps. 'Warning: Might completely intrude on your space, sabotage your image'."
