Rap star 'impersonated policeman'

The Game has "LA" and a teardrop tattooed on his face

US rapper The Game has appeared in court after being charged with impersonating a police officer.

Police said the star told a cab driver he was an undercover officer in 2006, ordering him to run several red lights.

The hip-hop artist, real name Jayceon Taylor, insisted he was innocent. He has been given a conditional discharge at Manhattan's Criminal Court.

That means if the star is not arrested again within six months, the charge will be dismissed and the case closed.

The Game rejected offers of a plea deal that would have kept him out of jail in exchange for a guilty plea.

The rapper, who has a large "LA" tattooed on the right side of his face and a teardrop under his left eye, claimed the cab driver noticed they were being followed and asked who was in the car.

I love New York, but I hate the system - but I hate every system The Game

He said he told the driver they were the hip-hop police, and the driver decided on his own to run the red lights.

The rapper's lawyer Jeffrey Lichtman said it was unlikely a cab driver, seeing his client's tattoos, would have thought he was a policeman.

Speaking afterwards, The Game said: "I love New York, but I hate the system. But I hate every system."

Once a protege of rapper 50 Cent, he shot to stardom with his Grammy-nominated debut album The Documentary in 2005.

He currently still faces three felony charges in California for a February incident in which he is accused of pulling a gun during a basketball game in Los Angeles.

If convicted of those charges, he faces up to five years in jail.