Kanye West denies assaulting a photographer in a “bogus” incident outside a Newcastle, England, bar that led to the rapper’s second paparazzi-related arrest.

“When I left the club,” he writes in his blog, “I was encountered by a thirsty paparazzi as usual. He felt he had more rights to my space than me, so I put my hand up to prevent him from taking my image. I didn’t assault him.”

The hip-hop star, 31, who is currently performing in the U.K. as part of his Glow in the Dark tour, goes on to say, “I guess in all the commotion the camera scraped his nose.”

“That was the bogus part,” he says. “They placed me in handcuffs and drove me to the station. They spoke about how this was obviously a publicity stunt by the photographer but they still had to go through the motions.”

Although arrested on suspicion of assault and detained, West was released without charge. He says, however, that his reputation has taken a hit.

“Sure enough the next morning, plastered across every media outlet… Kanye Gets Arrested. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t charged or that I hadn’t assaulted anyone,” he laments. “All that mattered was that I was arrested.”

In the blog post, he also calls for strict laws to crack down on shutterbugs whose practices he deems intrusive.

“When will there be a law passed that simply enforces that someone has to ask to have a photograph of you?” he wonders. “That would seem like common courtesy. Right now the paps are above the law and the people they shoot are below it.”

This run-in with the authorities marked West’s second arrest this year, following a similar incident in September at Los Angeles International Airport, for which he was accused of damaging a photographer’s camera. He has not been charged in that alleged altercation.

Source:www.People.com

Kanye West was arrested after an alleged run-in with a photographer outside a nightclub in Newcastle on Friday morning.

The rapper was arrested on suspicion of assault outside the Tup Tup Palace, reports Britain’s Evening Chronicle.

“We can confirm that a 31-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assault following an incident at a Newcastle city center club in the early hours of this morning,” said a Northumbria Police spokeswoman. “He was released without charge and no further action is being taken.”

Earlier in the night, West performed a sold out show at the Metro Radio Arena as part of his Glow in the Dark world tour.

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Listen up, ladies! Kanye West is looking for Miss Right.

“I want to have kids,” he tells PEOPLE. “But I want to have the right girl too - someone who really cares about me.”

Still, the savvy hip-hop star is no easy prey. “When I’m in a club, girls are super-calculating, planning every step,” he says.

West - speaking exactly a year and a day since the sudden death of his mother, Donda - said making his new album, 808’s and Heartbreak, helped him deal with his sense of isolation. (It was a rough year for West. In addition to losing his mother, he also split with his fiancée, Alexis Phifer.)

“It’s lonely at the top,” he told reporters Tuesday at a London listening party for the new album. “Losing my mom, having no woman in my life to support me - I feel like I’m on my own and can only express it through my music.”

“I ran into Beyoncé Knowles , Paul McCartney, %26#91;at the MTV Europe Music Awards and%26#93; I felt comfortable,” he said. “Rejuvenated.”

In Memory of Mom

One year after his mother’s passing, West, 31, told PEOPLE that he’s been profoundly changed by her death (due to complications following cosmetic surgery). “She influenced me to do exactly what I want to do,” he explained. “With my mom’s passing, I learned that … you can’t let people box you in. You gotta do what you want to do.”

It’s a subject that, for a long time, was too sensitive to discuss. “I didn’t do any interviews after my mom passed, I wasn’t ready to speak about %26#91;it%26#93;,” he said. “Now I’d rather talk it through than commit suicide. I’m super devastated.”

Cruelly, the rapper blames himself - or more specifically, his fame - for her death. “I feel like I moved to California, then my mom moved to California, and she did stuff she wouldn’t have done if we’d stayed in Chicago,” he said. “If I’d never made it in the music business, it never would’ve happened.”

And fame has brought complications to his own life. “I’m an alien. The only place I can be alone is my hotel room - I can’t even go to the grocery store,” West added. “But don’t feel sorry for me - I just did a shoot for Louis Vuitton. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be okay in the end.”

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Rapper Kanye West and his fiancée of a year and a half, designer Alexis Phifer have broken off their engagement, Phifer confirms to PEOPLE exclusively.

“It’s always sad when things like this end, and we remain friends,” Phifer tells PEOPLE. “I wish him the best in his future and all of his endeavors. He’s one of the most talented people I’ve ever met.”

Phifer was spotted on the red carpet sans her engagement ring at an “Evenings in Vogue” event on Thursday night in New York, where her clothing line, Ghita, was featured.

“They’d been having problems,” a pal of West’s says. “Kanye is really focused on his show; he’s putting everything into the show right now. Alexis is a nice girl, but Kanye has been going through a rough time. They hit a rough patch and for now they’ve split.”

The couple, who have dated on and off since 2002, got engaged over a lobster and pasta dinner during a vacation on the island of Capri in August 2006.

A rep for West, currently on tour, had no comment.

Source:www.People.com

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Donda West, the mother and onetime manager of rapper Kanye West, died Saturday in Los Angeles.

BBC News quotes her publicist as saying she passed away “as the result of complications from a cosmetic surgical procedure,” but gave no more details. West’s spokesman said the family “asks for privacy during this time of grief.”

West, 58, a retired professor and former chairwoman of the Chicago State University English department, was a tireless supporter of her son as he both earned success and stirred up controversy.

“She always gave me support,” Kanye West said. “A lot of parents don’t train their kids to think.”

In June, Donda joined Kanye to celebrate his 30th birthday at the flagship Louis Vuitton store in Manhattan, where she danced onstage to “She Wants to Move” as her son chanted “Go Mom! Go Mom!” The next celebration she was looking forward to was his marriage.

Of Kanye’s fiancé Alexis Phifer, she told PEOPLE: “The best thing that I love about her is that she loves my son. You can’t beat that.”

Source:www.People.com

No one has ever accused Kanye West of being subtle.

The outspoken hip-hop performer teamed up with several dozen nude models to introduce his new album 808s %26 Heartbreak at an L.A. listening party Tuesday night.

“I like the idea of nudity because I realize it’s society that told us to wear clothes at a certain point,” said West, 31, addressing about 200 guests when his 50-minute album concluded.

“The irony for me %26#91;as%26#93; somebody who’s talked about so many labels - Louis Vuitton this, %26#91;Mercedes%26#93; Benz that, this girl looks good - %26#91;is that%26#93; now it’s time to deliver ideas in the most naked form possible.”

West’s new album features big, broken, explosive beats and vocals that are all heavily manipulated using Auto-Tune, a studio pitch-correction device. Recorded in Hawaii last month, 808s %26 Heartbreak can be described as a more experimental effort for the 10-time Grammy winner, who is best known for his mainstream commercial hits like “Jesus Walks” and “Stronger.”

“It’s from my heart. I don’t give a f— if someone rates it ‘hot’ or ‘not.’ It doesn’t matter to me at this point,” West told his guests, who included Jay-Z, Jimmy Kimmel, Will.i.am, L.A. Reid and deejay Steve Aoki.

“I can only request that other people who make real art won’t dictate their passion based on what is ‘hot.’ … I’m here to bring sensitivity that cannot be judged.”

West also revealed that he plans to release another album in June 2009. “I have more music to do,” he said. “It will be from my heart.”

Rapper Lil Wayne leads the third annual BET Hip Hop Awards, with 12 nominations, the network announced Monday.

Kanye West drew seven nods, while Jay-Z follows with six.

New Orleans native Lil Wayne, 25, who sold one million copies of his new album, Tha Carter III, in its first week of release, will duke it out with West, 31, and Jay-Z, 38, in five categories, including MVP of the year, best live performer, and CD of the year.

The October 18th ceremony will be hosted by comedian Katt Williams at the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center and will air on BET on Oct. 23.

Just one day after Kanye West’s Thursday arrest at Los Angeles International Airport on suspicion of vandalism, he has a message for fans.

“I’m cool with the paparazzi,” the rapper - who was arrested with his road manager at LAX after allegedly causing damage to camera equipment worth more than $10,000 - wrote on his blog Friday morning.

“This guy wasn’t cool,” West wrote, referring to one of the lensmen allegedly involved in the incident. “I gotta work now … I’ll rant later!”

“We back in the lab now!!!” wrote the rapper, who’s returned to work on his album.

Right after being released by the LAPD, he left on a private jet from Van Nuys to Honolulu, where he’s working on his next album at Avex Studios.

A court date is set for Oct. 2.

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Kanye West was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport Thursday morning after allegedly damaging a photographer’s camera.

“Mr. West was arrested at 7:51 a.m. outside the passenger screening area by airport police on charges of vandalism,” said LAX spokesman Marshall Lowe. “Initial reports say this incident involved a paparazzo and a camera valued at more than $10,000.”

“In addition, Mr. West’s %26#91;road manager%26#93; was arrested for vandalism and battery,” Lowe said. “Several witnesses are being interviewed by police. West and his bodyguard are being transported to an LAPD station where they’re expected to be booked.”

The TMZ.com cameraman, who was taping the events, says he was then approached by the road manager, who “grabbed %26#91;his%26#93; camera, ripped off the mic and viewfinder and smashed it to the ground.”

West was released from custody at 12:53 p.m. after posting $20,000 bail, police records show.

A court date was set for Oct. 2. A rep for the rapper had no comment.

With reporting by TIFFANY McGEE

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After a long wait for Kanye West fans, the singer has finally unveiled the video for his single “Good Morning.”

The video, which debuted on iTunes http://www.apple.com/itunes Monday, was animated by Japanese artist Takashi Murakami and co-directed by West.

Murakami created the Graduation album art, including West’s signature bear - a character that symbolizes West himself.

A clip of the video was leaked last November, but fans are still flocking: As of this morning it’s already nudged out the Jonas Brothers for the top spot.