He is scrupulously private, which has meant his relationship with the ultimate postmodern reality creation has created more than a little tension.
And it seems that the birth of Kanye West's daughter with camera-ready Kim Kardashian has done little to calm the rapper down when it comes to dealing with friendly press advances.
The celebrity website TMZ has footage of the 36-year-old 'lashing out' at one of their cameramen after the snapper simply tried to tell him how much he admires his canon of work.
Angry man: Kanye West lost his cool with the TMZ crew at LAX
The Yeezus star had just arrived at Los Angeles International Airport when the incident occurred.
'Don't talk, don't talk to me,' Kanye yelled at the photographer.
He then spirals off into an angry stream of consciousness rant: 'I don't want to hear paparazzi talk to me or anybody I know and tell everybody never talk to anyone that anyone knows, don't talk to
Busy man: Not only has he become a father for the first time, but he released his sixth studio album Yeezus last month
Getting to work: With Kanye's famously perfectionist character to contend with, it is sure to take a while to complete the transformation of their 10,000-square-foot home
But it's when the videographer asks if there'll be another collaboration between Kanye and best buddy Jay-Z - after telling the star he loves him - that Kanye flips.
West can be seen charging back the cameraman and appearing to reach for his equipment.
Kanye was arrested for smashing up TMZ equipment at LAX in 2008.
After spending most of 32-year-old Kim's pregnancy in Paris, Kanye has been bedding down in LA since the June 15 birth of baby North.
The rapper was even spotted visiting upmarket furniture stores in Los Angeles on Thursday.
The newborn and her mother are currently holed up at Kris Jenner's home in Calabasas.
But while they are comfortably ensconced, the family do not yet have a home to call their own.
This is despite Kanye and Kim buying their first home together back in January - a luxury $11million mansion in Bel Air.
Doting father: Meeting his new daughter is said to have transformed the star
The two planned to renovate the property together, but with Kanye absent seemed to get little done before the birth.
With Kanye's famously perfectionist character to contend with, it is sure to take a while to complete the transformation of their 10,000-square-foot home.
Just this week designer Jean Touitou admitted that it took two years to create just three items in his recent collaboration with the star.
'If I made this happen, then I can achieve peace in the Middle East,' he joked.
Reluctant celebrity: Kanye - pictured here with his then pregnant girlfriend in April - has never been comfortable with the circus surrounding Kim