Atlanta, Georgia/ USA- September 8 2019: Tory Lanez Attended the One music Festival at Centennial park Michael A Walker Jr / Shutterstock.com
Fans of Tory Lanez and Megan Thee Stallion waited in suspense ever since Tory was charged in October for the alleged shooting of Megan Thee Stallion. On November 18th, Tory Lanez, real name Daystar Peterson, pleaded not guilty to the charge of shooting of Megan Thee Stallion back in July of 2020. Tory sent his attorney, Shawn Holey, on his behalf to enter the plea to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Tory’s bail was set and posted at $190,000 and he was asked to surrender all guns. The rapper will return to court on January 20, 2021.
The incident occurred in July, the DA’s office announced in October. The Texas singer, Megan, called the shooting a traumatic ordeal and terrifying, requiring surgery. Her Instagram Live in July tearfully mentioned the incident as the ‘worst experience of [her] life’ and that she did not deserve to get shot, though thankful the bullets missed her bones and tendons. Megan was sent to a Los Angeles hospital on July 12th with gunshot wounds on both feet. She had been with Tory in an SUV, following a party Kylie Jenner’s house, at the time of the incident, which led to his arrest on a felony gun charge. Tory posted bail was released later the same day and has been ordered to stay away from Megan. There had been rumors that Megan was also arrested when Tory was, but she has since stated she was not taken into police custody.
In August, Megan Thee Stallion, real name Megan Jovon Ruth Pete, streamed an Instagram Live that mentioned Tory being her shooter, saying “Yes…Tory shot me. You shot me, and you got your publicist and your people going to these blogs lying and shit. Stop lying. Why lie? I don’t understand.” Only one month after the shooting, Megan appeared at the VMAs at the end of August as her first public appearance. She took home the Moon Person for Best Hip-Hop award. Megan’s lawyer has stated that the performer has received threats on her life as a result and feared for her safety.
Beginning his music career in 2009, Tory released his “Daystar” album in September after the incident but prior to being charged. His album hit the top 10 on the Billboard album chart. However, this 17-track album contains songs that addresses the shooting and the subsequent fallout, as well as what Tory views as betrayal from many. Each song holds defensive lyrics, jabs at his critics, responses to teasing about his height, the singer Jojo who deleted a duet with him from her deluxe album, and more. There are analogies to a woman he greatly loves, who listeners take to be Megan, but also lyrics that indicate the sexual prowess of a new girlfriend. The album’s content led to many fans quoting the lyrics on Megan’s Instagram comments. Some in Megan’s camp have decried this album as an exploitation of Megan’s pain and suffering, fueling the agony of black women being unprotected victims from patriarchal violence and capitalist aggressors.
The Canadian rapper had one felony count each of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, personal use of a firearm, and carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle. The maximum consequence could be as severe as 22 years and eight months in a state prison. During the hearing, the DA is deciding if Tory’s album lyrics and social media posts violate the protective order. Despite that, Tory has stated that he has no intention of disrespect towards the W.A.P singer, “As a person, she’s still my friend, no matter what.”
