Suge Knight sues Dr Dre over 'hitmen' claim

Knight (l) and Dr Dre used to be friends and worked together

Former rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight is suing Dr Dre, alleging that the hip-hop star and Apple executive hired hitmen to kill him.

Knight alleges Dre was responsible for two attempts on his life.

And he claims Dre agreed to pay him 30% of his earnings for life, including his share of Apple's 2014 $3bn (£2.45bn) purchase of Dre's Beats products.

Dre's lawyers have dismissed the claims, saying he has had no contact with Knight for 20 years.

Hollywood nightclub

Knight and Dre were co-founders of Death Row Records.

Knight is currently in jail awaiting trial for murder. He is accused of running over and killing industry colleague Terry Carter in January 2015 in a car park in Los Angeles.

In the case filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Knight said he had been defending himself as another man, filmmaker Cle Sloan, allegedly pulled a gun on him.

Several months earlier, Knight was shot seven times at a Hollywood nightclub in a party thrown by R&B singer Chris Brown.

The case, referring to Dre by his given name, alleges that "Andre Young is responsible for both crimes."

A lawyer for Dre told Rolling Stone: "Given that Dre has had zero interaction with Suge since leaving Death Row Records in 1996, we hope that Suge's lawyer has lots of malicious prosecution insurance."