Tory Lanez, born Daystar Shemuel Shua Peterson on July 27, 1992, in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, is a Canadian singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He gained initial recognition with his 2013 mixtape Conflicts of My Soul: The 416 Story and later signed with Mad Love Records, an imprint of Interscope Records. His debut studio album, I Told You (2016), featured hits like “Say It” and “Luv.” Lanez is known for blending R&B and hip-hop in his music and has been involved in various public feuds, including notable ones with Drake and Joyner Lucas.
In 2020, Lanez was involved in a shooting incident with rapper Megan Thee Stallion, leading to legal proceedings. In December 2022, he was convicted on three felony charges related to the shooting: assault with a semiautomatic firearm, carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm, and discharging a firearm with gross negligence. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison in August 2023.
While incarcerated at the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi, Lanez has continued to release music. In 2025, he released his eighth studio album, Peterson, which he described as the “first ever in-real-time prison album.” The album was recorded entirely while in prison and utilized AI technology. It entered the Billboard 200 at number 25.
On May 12, 2025, Lanez was stabbed 14 times in a prison altercation, resulting in collapsed lungs and hospitalization. He is currently recovering and remains in stable condition. The incident is under investigation by the prison’s Investigative Services Unit and the Kern County District Attorney’s Office.