Detroit city officials are suing rapper Dr Dre and others involved in the production of a DVD, saying their privacy was invaded.

They claim a conversation they had in 2000 with organisers of the Up in Smoke rap tour, which Dr Dre headlined, was secretly recorded and later released as a bonus track on a DVD.

They are also suing distributor AOL Time Warner, retailer Best Buy and Panavision - which made the cameras - in connection with the DVD.

Former basketball player Magic Johnson, whose company helped produce the tour, is also being sued.

Hidden camera

The conversation took place after Dr Dre was forced to drop two sexually explicit videos from his act when he played in Detroit.

The city officials - some of whom have since left their posts - claim a hidden camera and microphones were "secretly used to intercept, eavesdrop upon and record" the meeting.

Up in Smoke was a major tour featuring rappers Eminem and Snoop Dogg, as well as Dr Dre - whose real name is Andre Young.

It came to Detroit and Auburn Hills in the summer of 2000.

'Consent'

Detroit officials kept the video from being shown, but later paid Dr Dre $25,000 (�17,000) and apologised for having infringed his free speech rights after he protested.

A lawyer for the city officials was quoted by the Detroit Free Press newspaper as saying Dr Dre had exploited his clients.

"What would you do if somebody took your image and put it on a T-shirt or a product and started making millions of dollars off it without your consent?" he asked.

However, lawyers representing the rapper called the charges "basically comic".