Mr Knight's label Death Row Records popularised gangsta rap

US authorities have said the alleged assault and subsequent arrest could break the terms of his parole. If he is found guilty he could face up to a year in jail.

Mr Knight, 37, was arrested on 21 June outside the White Lotus Club, favoured by celebrities, after allegedly punching a parking attendant from behind because he had blocked his car, according to a Department of Corrections spokesman.

Have you ever seen the size of Suge? If he hit one of those little valets, the guy would be broken Mr Knight's lawyer

Mr Knight's lawyer, Robin Yanes, disputed the account, saying the 141kg rap mogul was doing his utmost to stay out of jail.

Mr Yanes told the Los Angeles Times: "That's so un-Suge-like to hit somebody. Have you ever seen the size of Suge? If he hit one of those little valets, the guy would be broken."

Mr Knight has already served a 61-day jail sentence for breaking parole. He was convicted of associating with a known gang member, a violation of his parole conditions.

Jail term

The district attorney's office, which files charges, has not yet received a request to do so. Parole officers said they would ask the California Board of Prison Terms if Knight had broken his terms.

They have 30 days to decide whether they will revoke his parole.

The rap figure was originally charged with assault and weapons violations and put on probation in 1992.

He was then sent to jail for five years in 1996 after being video-taped beating a gang member in the lobby of a Las Vegas hotel with several associates, including rapper Tupac Shakur.

Shakur was later shot dead in Las Vegas.

Mr Knight's Death Row Records label, which he founded after a failed career as a football player, became a huge success in the early 1990s.

It boasted rap stars such as Dr Dre, Snoop Doggy Dogg and Shakur, and brought the so-called "gangsta" rap style into the mainstream.

The label is now known as Tha Row.