Lanez to appear in court on Tuesday
The biggest drama in the hip-hop community is finally coming to a head.
On Thursday, Canadian rapper Tory Lanez — who took home more Junos this year than any other male artist — was charged with shooting rap superstar Megan Thee Stallion in the foot in Los Angeles earlier this summer.
He faces two felony charges, including assault with a semi-automatic firearm and carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle.
According to court documents, Lanez “inflicted great bodily injury” on Megan Thee Stallion.
If convicted, or proven guilty, he faces a maximum sentence of 23 years in prison.
What happened?
Lanez is accused of shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the foot in a car on the night of July 12, after leaving a party in Los Angeles.
Megan Thee Stallion has seen major success this year, achieving her first No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 with Savage, topping the charts again in August alongside Cardi B with WAP and appearing as the musical guest on this season’s debut of Saturday Night Live. (Image credit: Rich Fury/Getty Images)
He was arrested that night and released after posting bail, which means a person pays a certain amount of money to be released from prison instead of having to wait to see a judge.
Megan’s response
Three days after the shooting, Megan Thee Stallion took to Instagram Live.
In an emotional video, she said she’d been shot in the foot, although she didn’t say who shot her.
In a follow-up video, posted to Instagram on Aug. 20, Megan Thee Stallion called out Lanez for allegedly shooting her, saying “Yes … Tory shot me,” and urging him to “stop lying” about it.
She described the incident as “super scary” and “the worst experience of [her] life.”
Megan Thee Stallion said she initially hesitated to tell police what happened because she was scared that the situation would escalate.
“I didn’t tell the police nothing because I didn’t want us to get in no more trouble,” she said.
Lanez responds
Lanez has not spoken publicly about the incident, despite hinting that he would break his silence on Sept. 24.
Tory Lanez began his career in 2009 at the age of 17, and won the Juno for best rap recording this year for his track Freaky. (Image credit: Rich Fury/Getty Images)
However, he did release a teaser for his new album DAYSTAR that night, and many have speculated that some of the lyrics on the album are a response to the incident.
The opening track Money Over Fallouts opens with soundbites from news coverage of the events, including one that says: “You are the alleged shooter of Megan Thee Stallion.”
The opening is followed by Lanez rapping lyrics like: “Megan, people tryna frame me for a shootin,” and “I would never put you in no danger, and if I did, you would’ve said it when you seen the cops.”
Lanez is due to appear in court on Tuesday to answer to the charges.
With files from The Associated Press
TOP PHOTO CREDIT: (Rich Fury/Getty Images, Amy Sussman/Getty Images, graphic design by Allison Cake)
