Tory Lanez #

Introduction #

Tory Lanez, the Canadian rapper and singer whose real name is Daystar Peterson, was convicted in December 2022 of shooting fellow artist Megan Thee Stallion in the foot, and in August 2023 he was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The case — which turned the Summer 2020 shooting into a years-long courtroom saga, a social-media war, and one of the most divisive episodes in hip-hop — effectively ended the career of an artist who had released seven U.S. top-10 albums in the seven years before his conviction.

Background Information #

Born Daystar Shemuel Shua Peterson on July 27, 1992, in Brampton, Ontario, Lanez built a career as a singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer blending R&B and hip-hop, releasing mixtapes from 2009 onward before breaking through with albums like “I Told You” and “Chixtape” projects. By the time of his conviction he had amassed seven U.S. top-10 albums, establishing himself as one of the most commercially consistent artists in hip-hop — a run that made the sudden stop of his career all the more stark.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation #

In July 2020, Megan Thee Stallion and Lanez left a party at the Hollywood home of reality star Kylie Jenner along with a friend and Lanez’s bodyguard. According to testimony, an argument broke out as they drove away; Megan said she demanded to be let out of the vehicle and that Lanez began firing shots at the ground and shouting at her to “dance.” She was hit in the foot and required surgery to remove bullet fragments. Megan admitted at trial that she initially said she had “stepped on glass” because she feared no one would believe Lanez had shot her.

Lanez was charged and, after a trial in December 2022, a Los Angeles jury found him guilty on all three counts: assault with a firearm, illegal possession of a firearm, and negligent discharge of a gun. Prosecutors also argued that Lanez had tried to turn public opinion against the victim during the years between the shooting and the trial.

Public Reaction and Consequences #

The case split the hip-hop world. Rappers including 50 Cent and Iggy Azalea appeared to take sides, and some artists wrote to the court asking for leniency in sentencing, while Megan’s supporters rallied around her and denounced what they called a campaign to smear the victim. At the August 8, 2023 sentencing hearing in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Lanez spoke for several minutes, describing Megan as a friend — “someone I still care for dearly to this day” — and noting they had bonded over the loss of their mothers. Megan did not appear in court but issued a written statement: “For once, the defendant must be forced to face the full consequences of his heinous actions and face justice.”

Current Status #

Judge David Herriford sentenced Lanez to 10 years in prison. His appeal of the conviction and sentence was rejected by a panel of Los Angeles judges, who said he had not been the victim of a miscarriage of justice. While incarcerated, Lanez has continued to release music, and his case remains entangled with Megan Thee Stallion’s separate defamation suit against a blogger she accuses of spreading false narratives about her, in which Lanez was due to be interviewed by lawyers. In May 2025, Lanez was stabbed 14 times by another inmate, with a convicted killer named as a suspect in the attack.

Impact on Their Career/Life #

The conviction and 10-year sentence brought a sudden end to one of hip-hop’s most productive commercial runs: Lanez went from releasing top-10 albums to recording from prison, with his public reputation redefined by the shooting rather than his music. The case also became a cultural flashpoint in debates about how victims of violence — particularly Black women — are treated in hip-hop and online; Megan Thee Stallion’s fans and supporters pointed to the years of social-media attacks she endured while prosecutors argued that Lanez had tried to turn public opinion against her.