Jayceon Taylor, also known as The Game, has been arraigned and charged with a misdemeanour count of assault and battery, as well as one felony count of making criminal threats.

The charge is the result of an incident that occurred last March when the rapper allegedly got into a fight with an off-duty police officer during a basketball game.

Mr Taylor, who is one of the most notable protégés of hip hop superstar Dr Dre, could face up to three years imprisonment if he is convicted.

The prosecution claims that during the basketball match The Game committed a hard foul on the police officer and soon after “struck him and later threatened to kill him.”

The Hate it or Love it rapper has also just been ordered to pay approximately €180,000 in damages to a former nanny who sued him in what may be the first Instagram-related libel case.

The 35-year-old hip hop artist reportedly went on a rant about his children’s former babysitter, Karen Monroe, claiming that she screamed at his children, had sex with her boyfriend in his children’s room and a number of other terrible offences.

Ms Monroe’s attorney claimed that millions of people saw the post, causing her client to suffer huge amounts of verbal abuse as well as causing her to lose her job as child minder to singer Kelis.

The Game will make his first court appearance on Monday to answer to the assault, battery and making criminal threat charges.