Kanye West wants a piece of the paparazzi’s pie.
On Saturday (Jan. 22), as he was swarmed by a group of photographers outside of the Miami airport, Ye shared his intention to change the current regulations that allow paparazzi to take celebrity photos as they please.
“Right now y’all get to shoot us without having to pay. I’mma change that,” he said. “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.”
In West’s conversation with the photographers, he explained that he is entitled to any money made off of his image and should therefore have his thoughts/feelings considered before any pictures are taken. In fact, the star claims he’s down to help them make some money as long as there is some communication beforehand.
“We all gotta make money together … It can’t be a one-sided thing,” said the “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” emcee. “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.”
“I’m gonna make sure we get our rights …,” he added. “We’re real people, also.”
Ye is adamantly against the use of his likeness without his consent. While sharing his thoughts with the paparazzi, he mentioned his encounter with Justin Poplawski — a well-known autograph seeker he allegedly punched earlier this month — and claimed that the man was trying to profit off of his name and image.
“I respect your job. My dad was a photographer at a newspaper … I love paparazzi,” he continued. “But as Americans, we gotta respect each other. We gotta bring the pride back to this country.”
Ye is currently named a suspect in the battery investigation.