Violence broke out at the Vibe Music Awards in Santa Monica, Calif., Monday night after an audience member attacked rapper Dr. Dre.
The rap pioneer was being honored on the Barker Hanger stage by Quincy Jones and Snoop Dogg when a mystery man blocked the star's path and punched him in the face.
Audience members then started throwing chairs as Jones and Snoop Dogg cleared the stage and Dre was taken backstage by security staff.
Reports claim members of 50 Cent's hip-hop group G Unit stepped in to defend Dre.
In the chaos that broke out, one man was stabbed and taken to hospital.
One onlooker says, "It was chaos. Dre was being honored onstage and someone obviously wasn't very happy. It turned really nasty very quickly."
Vibe publicist Andrea Ferguson played down the fracas, describing it as a "disruption," and claimed the show continued five minutes later.
Police are investigating the fracas and trying to find the man who stabbed an audience member.