What Happened to Tory Lanez?

By CelebPaid Editorial Team · 9 min read

Tory Lanez, 34, is serving a 10-year prison sentence for the 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion.Image via Wikimedia Commons

Who Tory Lanez Was Before

Daystar Shemuel Shua Peterson, known as Tory Lanez, born July 27, 1992, in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, was a versatile rapper and R&B singer discovered by Sean Kingston. His 2013 mixtape Conflicts of My Soul: The 416 Story built buzz; signing to Benny Blanco's Mad Love/Interscope in 2015, he broke through with Say It and Luv, the latter earning Grammy nominations. His debut album I Told You (2016) debuted in the top five.

Known for blending rap and R&B with chameleonic ease, Lanez released a prolific string of albums and mixtapes, built a loyal fanbase, and was considered one of the most talented, if mercurial, artists of his generation. All of that ended on a July night in 2020.

His 2016 XXL Freshman cover placement confirmed his arrival, and the Fargo Fridays freestyle series built his underground buzz. The industry's investment in Lanez was substantial; his self-destruction, total.

The 2020 Shooting

On July 12, 2020, after a party at Kylie Jenner's home, Lanez, Megan Thee Stallion and others left in an SUV. An argument escalated, and Lanez shot at Megan, wounding her feet with bullet fragments. Megan initially told police the injuries were from broken glass, later explaining she feared for her safety; she eventually named Lanez publicly, describing the shooting in detail.

Lanez was charged with assault with a semiautomatic firearm, carrying a loaded unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and related counts. He pleaded not guilty, and the case became one of the most divisive in hip-hop, splitting the industry and sparking intense debates about misogynoir, victim-blaming and accountability.

The Kylie Jenner party where the night began added tabloid surrealism: one of reality TV's biggest stars hosting the prelude to a shooting that would convict a Grammy nominee. Jenner herself was never implicated, but her proximity to the night's start kept her name in the case's footnotes.

The Trial and Conviction

The trial began in December 2022 in Los Angeles. Prosecutors presented ballistic evidence, text messages and testimony, including Megan's emotional account. Lanez's defense suggested alternate theories, including that his former bodyguard fired the shots. After deliberation, the jury convicted Lanez on all three counts: assault with a semiautomatic firearm, having a loaded unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.

Megan's victim impact statement described the trauma and the torrent of harassment she faced for coming forward. The conviction was hailed by advocates as a rare moment of accountability in the music industry.

The ballistics evidence, gunshot residue on Lanez's hands, Megan's testimony, formed a prosecution case the jury found overwhelming. The defense's alternate-shooter theory never gained traction, and the guilty verdict on all counts was delivered after relatively brief deliberations.

The 10-Year Sentence

In August 2023, Lanez was sentenced to 10 years in state prison. The judge cited the seriousness of the offense and Lanez's lack of remorse, while acknowledging his difficult childhood and charitable work. He is serving his sentence in California state prison, where he has reportedly been involved in altercations and was hospitalized after a 2025 stabbing by another inmate, according to reports.

From prison he has continued to release music recorded before his incarceration, and his team maintains his innocence publicly.

The judge cited Lanez's lack of remorse and the severity of shooting a fleeing victim, while his defense highlighted his childhood trauma and charitable work. The 10-year term, less than the 13 prosecutors sought, still effectively ended his career as a free artist.

Appeals

Lanez's legal team has pursued appeals, arguing evidentiary errors and ineffective assistance, among other claims. His appellate attorneys have filed motions seeking a new trial, and his supporters, including some high-profile figures, have amplified claims of his innocence online. As of the latest verified reports, the conviction stands and he remains incarcerated while the appellate process continues.

Megan Thee Stallion, meanwhile, has rebuilt triumphantly: Grammy wins, headlining tours, and cultural ubiquity, often referencing the case in her music as a story of survival.

His supporters' campaigns, including high-profile figures questioning the verdict online, keep alternative narratives alive on social media. But the legal system's answer has been consistent: conviction upheld, sentence standing, appeals facing long odds.

Where Is Tory Lanez Now?

At 34, Tory Lanez is an inmate serving a decade-long sentence, his once-promising career frozen at its commercial peak. His music still streams, his fans still advocate for him, and his appeals continue, but the legal reality is stark: barring a successful appeal, he will remain imprisoned into the 2030s.

What happened to Tory Lanez is a cautionary tale about talent derailed by violence: a Grammy-nominated artist who threw away his freedom in a single night, and a victim whose courage in testifying reshaped the conversation about accountability in hip-hop.

His prison recordings, released by his team, keep his name in streaming algorithms, but the context has changed: once the sound of a rising star, now artifacts of a fallen one. Barring a successful appeal, his 2030s will be spent behind bars.

His 2026 legal status, incarcerated with appeals pending, offers little hope of reversal. The music world has moved on, but the case remains a reference point in conversations about accountability in hip-hop.

The Music Before the Fall

Before 2020, Lanez's talent was undeniable. Luv (2016) earned Grammy nominations and became a dancehall-inflected R&B staple; Say It flipped Brownstone's If You Love Me into a sultry hit; and his Chixtape series, reworking 2000s R&B classics, showcased his crate-digger's ear. His albums, I Told You (2016), Memories Don't Die (2018), Love Me Now? (2018), arrived at a relentless clip.

His versatility was his calling card: he could rap, sing, and produce across genres, and his 2019-2020 Quarantine Radio Instagram sessions, chaotic, star-studded, wildly popular, made him a lockdown-era phenomenon. At his peak, he seemed destined for a long, genre-bending career. The shooting ended it in a night.

The Industry Reacts

The case split hip-hop. Megan's account was met with a torrent of disbelief, mockery and conspiracy theories, much of it tinged with misogynoir, while Lanez's supporters, including some prominent artists, amplified alternative theories. The trial became a referendum on believing Black women, with advocates noting the viciousness directed at Megan dwarfed anything Lanez faced.

After the conviction, the industry largely moved on: collaborations dried up, radio support vanished, and Lanez's releases became prison-recorded curiosities. Megan's triumph, Grammys, sold-out tours, cultural ubiquity, stands as the case's other legacy: a survivor who refused to be silenced and was vindicated by a jury.

Timeline

1992: Born in Brampton, Ontario. 2013: Conflicts of My Soul mixtape. 2015: Signs with Mad Love/Interscope. 2016: I Told You; Luv Grammy nods. July 12, 2020: Shoots Megan Thee Stallion. December 2022: Convicted on all counts. August 2023: Sentenced to 10 years. 2025: Stabbed by inmate; hospitalized. 2026: Appeals continue; remains incarcerated.

Daystar: The Persona Before the Fall

Lanez's Quarantine Radio (2020), his chaotic Instagram Live sessions during lockdown, drew hundreds of thousands of viewers and A-list guests, making him one of the pandemic's breakout streaming stars. The sessions' anything-goes energy, drinking games, freestyles, celebrity drop-ins, showcased the charisma that made his fall so shocking.

His Umbrella Records independence, after leaving Interscope, was supposed to herald a new chapter of creative control. Instead, the shooting months later froze the narrative permanently: the last image of free Tory Lanez is the Quarantine Radio showman, not the inmate.

The Chixtape Series

The Chixtape series, Lanez's beloved mixtape franchise reworking 2000s R&B classics, was his most critically acclaimed work: Chixtape 5 (2019) debuted in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 and earned genuine respect for its crate-digging curation. The tapes showcased his best quality, taste, flipping Ashanti, Ciara and Jagged Edge samples into something fresh.

The series' success made his fall more poignant: here was an artist with a real ear, a genuine contribution to R&B's evolution, who threw it away in a single night. The Chixtapes remain his most defensible legacy, the music that might have defined him.

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