Rapper The Game freed from prison

The Game was a protege of hip-hop star 50 Cent

US rap star The Game has been released from prison after serving eight days of a 60-day sentence for possessing a weapon while on school premises.

The 28-year-old - real name Jayceon Terrell Taylor - walked free from Los Angeles' Twin Towers prison.

The musician was convicted last month after allegedly pulling a gun on an opposing player at a basketball match.

The two-times Grammy nominee was also handed three years' probation and 150 hours of community service.

Threatened

Two other counts against Taylor were dropped as part of a plea bargain.

Opposing player Rodrick Shannon told a hearing in September the rapper had hit him in the face during the game at Rita Walters Educational Complex.

After a heated exchange, Taylor had fetched his gun from the car park and threatened Mr Shannon with it, the court heard.

Also in September, Taylor, a protege of fellow hip-hop star 50 Cent, was given a conditional discharge at a court in Manhattan, New York, for impersonating a police officer in 2006.

Police told the court the rapper had ordered a taxi driver to run several red lights after telling him he was an undercover officer.