Kanye West & The Paparazzi

Kanye West swears under oath, "I'm the smartest celebrity you've ever f***ing dealt with. I'm not Britney Spears."

TMZ has a transcript of Kanye's deposition in the case where he's accused of beating a photog and smashing his camera.

Kanye explains to Nate Goldberg, the photog's lawyer, "I'm in the business of trying to make dope s**t for the world.  You're in the business of representing scums and trying to make as much money as long as there's this lapse in the law."


Goldberg grills Kanye about his song, "Flashing Lights," -- a rant against the paparazzi. Goldberg quotes from the song, "Till I get flashed by the paparazzi, damn, these ni**as got me."

At that point Kanye interrupts, "You have to ask for a hall pass. You can't just say the 'n' word around me." adding, "It offends me because you're a white person saying 'ni**a.'"

Kanye says there's a parallel between blacks fighting for civil rights in the '60s and celebs fighting for theirs today:  "I mean in the '60s people used to hold up 'Die N****r' signs when my parents were in the sit-ins also."  Goldberg asks if he equates the struggle of blacks in the past with celebrities today and Kanye says, "Yes, 100 ... I equate it to discrimination.  I equate it to inequalities."

Kanye goes on, "We, as group of minorities here in L.A., as celebrities have to ban together to influence guys like this -- guys trying to take the picture, guys trying to get the big win, guys trying to get the check."

The depo is riddled with Kanye's sarcasm.  When Goldberg asks where he lives, Kanye replies, "Earth."