Kanye West on Paparazzi
Why I Hate Them ...
Why I Attack Them

There's a reason Kanye West hates the paparazzi so much -- it's a terrible reason -- but a reason nonetheless ... and it stems from a few rotten eggs, TMZ has learned.

It's no secret Kanye's been running on a short fuse since at least 2008, when he smashed a TMZ camera at LAX. After that, he vowed to have a more peaceful relationship with the media ... but that all changed in 2012.

Sources close to Kanye tell TMZ ... after he started getting serious with Kim Kardashian, he felt a couple of paps would cross the line and ask him inappropriate questions about their relationship in public. We're told he started to feel like certain paps were "heckling" him.

Things escalated in October 2012 during a trip to Miami ... when a local photog -- not a TMZ guy -- asked Kanye and Kim if they would be inviting Kris Humphries and Reggie Bush to their wedding.