Source: Handout / Getty / Tory Lanez
The short Canadian rapper who was found guilty of shooting Megan Thee Stallion can no longer make music from his prison cell.
TMZ Hip Hop exclusively reported that Tory Lanez’s weekly release of “Prison Tapes” came to an end after prison guards raided his cell block and relieved him of his studio equipment.
Tory Lanez is currently serving out his 10-year prison sentence at California Correctional Institution for shooting Megan Thee Stallion and, somehow, found a way to continue his music career while being behind bars.
The artist, born Daystar Peterson, confirmed the terrible news (we’re being sarcastic) to his loyal fans in a statement via his Instagram account. He blamed the “higher-ups” for taking his equipment, claiming it was in retaliation for using the “Prison Tapes” to help his fellow inmates obtain lawyers and reopen cases using royalties he was receiving from music he was making behind bars.
Here is his statement in full:
The rumors are true. ‘The Prison Tapes’ will be discontinued until further notice. However, I think it’s important that my fans know the truth about the crooked a** sh*t that’s REALLY going on here. My cell was not raided and trashed because I learned how to record myself in prison or because I created ‘The Prison Tapes. I was shut down because the ‘HIGHER UPS’ figured out what I was really doing with ‘The Prison Tapes’ and how many inmates were being helped in a life changing way because of them.”
Since the first day I-was incarcerated, all I’ve seen is blacks and other minorities receive the most cruel, illegal, and unfair punishment/treatment. For so many nights, I asked God to reveal his purpose in making me go through the ills of the prison system. I was later shown that purpose. I was placed in jail to suffer, to feel, and to witness firsthand the pain and oppression being inflicted upon the young black and brown men and women of my generation.
I knew I had to change this injustice. So, I made a plan that when I got to prison, I would figure out a way to record music and put all the proceeds towards the legal representation of my fellow inmates, giving them a once in a lifetime chance to go home to their families on appeal and resentencing.
Although the ‘HIGHER UPS’ have stopped ‘The Prison Tapes’ temporarily, they were too late to stop my overall plan. Since the month of July, l’ve afforded legal representation for 472 inmates and actively reopened 476 cases. With the help of legal firm ‘UNITE THE PEOPLE, so many inmates will be returned to their families and loved ones. I’m naming this ‘The Hands of God Project. Lastly, they know I’m a threat and they don’t want me saying or doing this so if ANYTHING happens to me, just know I went out in the blaze of glory trying to revolutionize the end of a mass incarceration era on our people.
Social Media Has Thoughts
To be expected, Lanez’s fans, aka his “Umbrellas” are eating this story up and are praising the “Say It” crafter for going above and beyond for his fellow inmates, while blaming the two biggest boogy men in the industry right now, Jay-Z and Roc Nation.
“Tory Lanez is gonna be a way bigger artist when he comes home. Then he and others can take care of this Roc Nation problem,” one person on X, formerly Twitter, wrote.
Others feel no remorse for the convicted felon. Another person on X wrote, “You don’t get to shoot a black woman over a minor fight and then claim that you’re fighting for black and other minorities in our prison system. Tory is a disgrace and literally set black men back with his antics. He should rot in jail. I don’t care.”
Welp, we guess that’s the end of Lanez doing his best impression of Lucious Lyon from Empire.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.