Celebrities

Kanye West tells paparazzi that he wants a cut of his earnings in heated debate

Kanye West tells paparazzi that he wants a cut of his earnings in heated debate
Kanye West tells paparazzi that he wants a cut of his earnings ...
@Kurrco/Twitter

Footage has emerged of Kanye West getting into a heated debate with a paparazzi after the rapper demanded a cut of the photographer's earnings.

The clip was shared late on Saturday by the Twitter account @Kurrco and features West in a discussion with a photographer, who is out of shot, at Miami airport.

In the nearly two-and-a-half-minute video, West argues that he and other celebrities should get a cut of what paparazzi earn as they are making a living off of his likeness and image.

"Right now y’all get to shoot us without having to pay. I’mma change that," says the 44-year-old rapper. "I’m not saying it in a negative way. It’s just like, right now, it’s just really one-sided. You guys can follow us, you guys can stand [outside] a hotel at any given time—you don’t give us any percentage of what you’re making off of us, off of our kids, and I’m gonna change that.”

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West also proposes that celebrities and paparazzi start working together so that they can both make money. "Look, if I’m just with my kids, I say I don’t want you to shoot me, then that’s just something y’all gotta respect … We can get that money together, but we gotta have a conversation."

The star adds: "I’m gonna make sure we get our rights ...We’re real people, also."

The paparazzi argues that he is just "reporting news" and there are "two sides to the debate."

West adds that he "respects" paparazzi and that his "dad was a photographer at a newspaper" but "as Americans, we gotta respect each other. We gotta bring the pride back to this country."

West has a tumultuous history with paparazzi having previously likened the attention to 'rape.' In 2016, he broke up a fight between two photographers at an airport by giving one of them a hug.

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