Rap legend Kidd Creole has been arrested for allegedly stabbing a drunk homeless man to death in New York.

The 57-year-old, whose real name is Nathaniel Glover, was taken into custody in the Bronx before being charged on Wednesday night.

The homeless man, identified as John Jolly, was found stabbed on a sidewalk in Midtown just before midnight on Tuesday.

Police say Glover got into a fight with the 55-year-old man.

Glover reportedly thought Jolly, who is a convicted rapist, was hitting on him, sourced told the NY Daily News.

Scroll down for video

Rap legend Kidd Creole has been arrested for allegedly stabbing a homeless man to death in New York. He is pictured here by Pix11 in handcuffs on Wednesday night

Rap legend The Kidd Creole has been arrested over the stabbing murder of a homeless man John Jolly, 55, on Tuesday night

The homeless man was found stabbed on a sidewalk in Midtown just before midnight on Tuesday (above)

'He turned, interpreting that the guy was making an advance toward him. One thing led to another, and he shivved him twice in the chest,' the source said.

Authorities responding to a 911 call had initially thought the man was passed out drunk until they saw he had suffered multiple stab wounds to his chest.

The man was rushed to Bellevue Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Glover, who works as a security guard and handyman in the area, was tied to the stabbing via surveillance footage.

'They had no prior relationship. They had words. Things got out of hand. It was some sort of diss,' a police source told the NY Daily News.

Police said the victim was well known to authorities with 17 prior arrests to his name, including rape and sexual assault, CBS reports.

Throwback: Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five are pictured in 1984. Kidd Creole is seen far right

Glover was one of the members of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five - a hip hop group founded in the Bronx in the 1970s.

The group rose to prominence in the 80s and are credited as being one of the most influential hip hop acts.

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were the first hip hop group to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

Glover was arrested in 2007 for possessing a knife and for possessing a gun in 1995 and 1982.

Glover, AKA The Kidd Creole, was one of the members of hip hop group Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Scorpio, Melle Mel, Kidd Creole and Raheim (left to right) are pictured here being inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2007