Kanye West -- I Don't Want to Hurt Paparazzi, My Father Was One of 'Em

Kanye West played the 'some of my best friends are black' card in his civil lawsuit over the LAX paparazzi attack -- revealing that his dad was once a celebrity photog.

During deposition for the suit filed by Daniel Ramos ... Kanye told Ramos' attorney, "My father was a paparazzo himself." He added that his parents didn't raise him to "be out here wrestling with random paparazzi in front of LAX."

Kanye said he respects some of the paparazzi and gets along with them from time to time, but accused Ramos of asking him about "dumb s**t."