Kanye West was in fear for his safety leading up to his fight with a paparazzo at LAX, the rapper alleges. Photographer Daniel Ramos is suing 'Ye for the scuffle, but the Chicago MC has fired back in paperwork filed by lawyer Shawn Holley, TMZ reports.

On the day in question, Yeezy felt his "safety was in immediate danger" after the prying photog littered him with questions, so he attacked, "doing only those acts that were reasonable necessary for his self-defense," the paperwork states.

Ramos approached the "Black Skinnhead" rhymer in late July, days after he got into a verbal spat with another photographer, also for questioning him. During the Ramos altercation, West was seen trying to wrestle the camera out of his hands, but eventually gives up and hops into a waiting car.

West shared his disdain for the paparazzi on Kris Jenner's talk show recently. "It's hard to smile when you know that people, for one thing, they're around you only to make money off of you," the 36-year-old told his girlfriend's mom. "If you're around people that are only there to make money off of you, you already feel like, wait a second, these aren't your friends. If you're around your friends, your friends make you smile."

He faces criminal battery in addition to the lawsuit. 

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(Photo: Splash News)