Rapper Andre Johnson is in the news after severing his penis and jumping off an apartment building in the US city of Los Angeles, at around 1am local time on Wednesday, according to police.

Mr Johnson survived the fall from the second storey of a building in North Hollywood, but has sustained serious injuries, Los Angeles Police Sergeant William Mann told CNN.

He is currently recovering in Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre, where he is being treated. His penis was retrieved, Mann said.

It is not yet clear what caused Mr. Johnson to jump from the building but initial reports said it might have been a suicide attempt. It is not immediately clear why the artist, who goes by the rap name Christ Bearer, would want to take is life.

Johnson (shown in photo) was discovered by the Wu-Tang Clan producer RZA in 1998, as a member of the group Northstar.