COLUMBUS (AP) -- Grammy Award-winning rapper Bizzy Bone of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony maintained in court Tuesday that he did not hurt a student barber who accused him of dragging him down a flight of stairs.
     The rapper, whose real name is Bryon McCane, is accused of attacking Terrance Harden on Sept. 16, at the Hair Experts Barber School.
     McCane, 22, is charged with assault and disorderly conduct.  His trail began in the late afternoon in Franklin County Municipal Court with Judge Teresa Liston giving 24 potential jurors preliminary instructions.
     McCane, who could face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine, wore a black suit and his hair braided and pulled back into a pony tail as he sat with defense attorney Randy Treneff.
     The singer had two bodyguards with him when he confronted harden to find out why he had been spreading rumors about McCane, Treneff said.
     "I think both of them (McCane and Harden) thought when they met in such a public place that it was going to be an amiable meeting," Treneff said.
     Treneff said Harden filed the complaint because he was looking for money from McCane, whose band won the 1997 Grammy for best rap performance by a duo or group.
     Harden, who was not in court when jury selection began, said he had been advised by his attorneys not to comment.
     Assistant City Prosecutor Nathan Akamine said he did not want to get into specifics about the case before the trial began.