The high-profile case that shook the music industry and brought attention to what critics have called a pervasive misogyny in hip-hop came to a close on Tuesday when Canadian rapper Tory Lanez was sentenced to 10 years in prison for shooting hip-hop artist Megan Thee Stallion at a party more than three years ago.
After five postponements and three months after he changed solicitors and filed a motion for a new trial, which was denied, Lanez was finally sentenced to a term of imprisonment that was three years shorter than the 13 years sought by the prosecution.
After being found guilty on three felony charges in connection with the 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion, including assault with a semiautomatic handgun, carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and discharging a firearm with gross negligence, Lanez has been incarcerated since December.
His lawyers asked for a sentence of probation and the requirement that he enroll in a residential substance abuse programme, but prosecutors insisted that Lanez deserved a lengthy prison sentence for shooting the singer “without any justifiable provocation or reason” while she was “unarmed and completely defenceless.”
Daystar Peterson, also known as Lanez, has claimed not to be the shooter. Judge David Herriford of the Los Angeles County Superior Court said in court that he had received 70 letters of support for Lanez, one of which was from music singer Iggy Azalea.
Prosecutor’s assistant Kathy Ta presented a victim impact statement from Megan, in which she said that Lanez “treated my trauma like a joke when I could’ve been dead” and “he blamed the system, he blamed the press, and as of late he is using his childhood trauma to justify his actions.”
Megan Thee Stallion, real name Megan Pete, claims that in July of 2020, during an argument about their careers and relationship, Lanez shot her as they were leaving a house party in the Hollywood Hills. The singer said Lanez told her to “dance b***h” before shooting her in the feet while they sat inside a car.
In court, Lanez’s lawyers claimed that the singer’s former pal, Kelsey Harris, was the shooter. On the testimony stand, Megan Thee Stallion said that Lanez tried to cover up the incident by offering a $1 million bribe to her and Harris and stating he was “just too drunk.” After the shooting, Lanez issued an album in which he blamed Megan and her crew for his arrest, saying they were “trying to frame him.”
Since word of Megan Thee Stallion’s shooting spread, the rapper has been ridiculed, her account has been questioned, and other members of the industry have spread rumors about what happened. Rappers Drake and 21 Savage were called out for lyrics that suggested Megan lied about the shooting. DaBaby brought Lanez on stage with him in Miami after a Megan Thee Stallion performance, and 50 Cent posted a meme making fun of the situation before issuing an apology.
However, actress Halle Berry tweeted her support for Megan The Stallion, writing, “Peace. Protection. Respect. For ALL Black Women.” Artists like Lizzo, Janelle Monae, JoJo (who also pulled Lanez from her album), and Chance the Rapper have spoken out in favour of Megan, while singer Kehlani has claimed that she removed Lanez from her album out of respect for Megan.
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