Rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight has been arrested for murder in connection with a hit-and-run that left one man dead and another person in the hospital, authorities in Los Angeles say.
The rapper is being held in lieu of $US2 million ($A2.58 million) in bail, Sergeant Diane Hecht of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office told AFP.
"Various witnesses" told the sheriff's department that Knight, co-founder of Death Row Records, first argued with the men, then used a red pick-up truck to strike the victims.
The argument began on the set of "Straight Outta Compton" about the gangsta rap group N.W.A., according to Captain John Corina of the Sheriff's Department, who was quoted in The Los Angeles Times.
Knight was arrested around 3am on Friday, after being interviewed by homicide detectives.
He co-founded Death Row along with hip-hop music king Dr. Dre in the early 1990s.
The label helped launch stars such as Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur before it collapsed in 1996 when Knight was jailed for parole violations.
Knight was jailed after violating a 1992 probation order by beating up a gang rival in the desert gambling city of Las Vegas.
He served a 10-month jail stint again in 2003, after getting into a fight outside a Hollywood nightclub.
Knight was last year shot six times at a music awards party.
