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| Megan Thee Stallion Says Tory Lanez Shot Her. He Responded With an Album. | |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| More than a month after the rapper Megan Thee Stallion accused a fellow musician, Tory Lanez, of shooting her in the feet in Los Angeles over the summer, Mr. Lanez on Friday delivered his first public statement denying responsibility — in the form of an entire album. | |
| The release, with tracks including “A Woman,” “Friends Become Strangers” and “Things I Should of Said,” came only hours after “Saturday Night Live” announced that Megan Thee Stallion would be the musical guest on its season premiere in October. The album is called “Daystar,” which is Mr. Lanez’s real first name. | |
| In late July, after weeks of declining to say who was responsible for her injuries, Megan Thee Stallion said on Instagram that she was struck in both feet and that “fake stories” about her continued to spread online. In a series of live videos on Instagram the night of Aug. 20, she addressed Mr. Lanez, who was arrested and charged with gun possession in the incident, and said, “You shot me.” | |
| At the time, representatives for Mr. Lanez declined to comment. But on Friday, he denied the specifics of the accusations in his lyrics across multiple songs. “There is a time to stay silent,” Mr. Lanez wrote on social media. “And a time to speak. I said all I could say on this.” | |
| On the first track, after a collage of news clips addressing the events and their aftermath, Mr. Lanez raps, “We both know what happened that night and what I did/But it ain’t what they sayin’.” | |
| Until the Aug. 20 videos, Megan Thee Stallion and the authorities had said little about what took place early on July 12 on Nichols Canyon Road in Hollywood. The Los Angeles police have not named a suspect or explained her injuries in detail. The police would not even confirm whether the injuries were gunshot wounds. | Until the Aug. 20 videos, Megan Thee Stallion and the authorities had said little about what took place early on July 12 on Nichols Canyon Road in Hollywood. The Los Angeles police have not named a suspect or explained her injuries in detail. The police would not even confirm whether the injuries were gunshot wounds. |
| Megan Thee Stallion said she had decided to identify Mr. Lanez because she was fed up with misinformation spreading online. Since details first emerged about the case, speculation has run rampant among hip-hop commentators and her legions of fans. Many have simply wondered what happened. | Megan Thee Stallion said she had decided to identify Mr. Lanez because she was fed up with misinformation spreading online. Since details first emerged about the case, speculation has run rampant among hip-hop commentators and her legions of fans. Many have simply wondered what happened. |
| It has been a strange turn in the story of a 25-year-old rapper who has vaulted to national fame in recent years with hits like “Hot Girl Summer” and collaborations with stars including Cardi B, Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj. | |
| Born Megan Pete, Megan Thee Stallion spent years rapping in her hometown, Houston, where she learned from her mother, who performed under the name Holly-Wood. | Born Megan Pete, Megan Thee Stallion spent years rapping in her hometown, Houston, where she learned from her mother, who performed under the name Holly-Wood. |
| Her 2017 song “Stalli Freestyle” is often credited as the one that brought her worldwide attention. Then came an EP, “Tina Snow,” then critical and popular success with her debut album, “Fever,” and then “Hot Girl Summer,” a song that became a cultural phenomenon last year. In March, she released another album, “Suga,” and her collaboration with Beyoncé on a remix of the song “Savage” became her first No. 1 Billboard hit in May. | Her 2017 song “Stalli Freestyle” is often credited as the one that brought her worldwide attention. Then came an EP, “Tina Snow,” then critical and popular success with her debut album, “Fever,” and then “Hot Girl Summer,” a song that became a cultural phenomenon last year. In March, she released another album, “Suga,” and her collaboration with Beyoncé on a remix of the song “Savage” became her first No. 1 Billboard hit in May. |
| In mid-August, she returned to No. 1 on Billboard as a featured guest on “WAP” by Cardi B, which debuted atop the chart with the most streams ever for a song in its first week of release. Mr. Lanez also appeared high on the singles chart, on the song “What’s Poppin” by Jack Harlow, which reached No. 4. | In mid-August, she returned to No. 1 on Billboard as a featured guest on “WAP” by Cardi B, which debuted atop the chart with the most streams ever for a song in its first week of release. Mr. Lanez also appeared high on the singles chart, on the song “What’s Poppin” by Jack Harlow, which reached No. 4. |
| She has emphasized her ambitions beyond music. (She is a health-administration student at Texas Southern University.) | She has emphasized her ambitions beyond music. (She is a health-administration student at Texas Southern University.) |
| “All my life, I’ve been a person who’s had my hands in a lot of things,” she said in March. “I was a bill collector at one point. I was a bartender. When I started rapping and making money, I was like, ‘I’m going to use this to do the things I really want to do: finish school and start my business.’” | “All my life, I’ve been a person who’s had my hands in a lot of things,” she said in March. “I was a bill collector at one point. I was a bartender. When I started rapping and making money, I was like, ‘I’m going to use this to do the things I really want to do: finish school and start my business.’” |
| She first described being shot in an Instagram post on July 15, saying that she had “suffered gunshot wounds, as a result of a crime that was committed against me and done with the intention to physically harm me.” | She first described being shot in an Instagram post on July 15, saying that she had “suffered gunshot wounds, as a result of a crime that was committed against me and done with the intention to physically harm me.” |
| She said that the police took her to the hospital and that she had surgery to remove bullets. She wrote on Instagram, “It was important for me to clarify the details about this traumatic night.” | She said that the police took her to the hospital and that she had surgery to remove bullets. She wrote on Instagram, “It was important for me to clarify the details about this traumatic night.” |
| Almost two weeks after that post, Megan Thee Stallion posted a video to reassure fans that she was well, to thank her supporters and to counter reports that she said were invented or based on fake sources. | Almost two weeks after that post, Megan Thee Stallion posted a video to reassure fans that she was well, to thank her supporters and to counter reports that she said were invented or based on fake sources. |
| “I was shot in both of my feet,” she said in the video, breaking into tears. Surgery, she said, “was super scary, it was, like, just the worst experience of my life.” | “I was shot in both of my feet,” she said in the video, breaking into tears. Surgery, she said, “was super scary, it was, like, just the worst experience of my life.” |
| She added that the bullets did not hit any bones or break any tendons, but were “in there” and had to be removed. In neither post did she say where the shooting happened. | She added that the bullets did not hit any bones or break any tendons, but were “in there” and had to be removed. In neither post did she say where the shooting happened. |
| In the video, she criticized people who she said were spreading rumors about the shooting and those making jokes on social media. “It’s not funny,” she said. “There’s nothing to joke about. It was nothing for y’all to start going and making up fake stories about.” | In the video, she criticized people who she said were spreading rumors about the shooting and those making jokes on social media. “It’s not funny,” she said. “There’s nothing to joke about. It was nothing for y’all to start going and making up fake stories about.” |
| She said that she did not put her hands on anyone before the shooting, adding, “I didn’t deserve to get shot.” And she explained her lack of comment beyond Instagram, saying: “It’s not that I was protecting anybody. I just wasn’t ready to speak.” | She said that she did not put her hands on anyone before the shooting, adding, “I didn’t deserve to get shot.” And she explained her lack of comment beyond Instagram, saying: “It’s not that I was protecting anybody. I just wasn’t ready to speak.” |
| The shooting, she said, was not something “you just immediately get on the internet and start talking about.” Though many people post on Instagram and Twitter as if it were their “diary,” she said, “that’s not me.” | The shooting, she said, was not something “you just immediately get on the internet and start talking about.” Though many people post on Instagram and Twitter as if it were their “diary,” she said, “that’s not me.” |
| In the August videos, Megan Thee Stallion said that she was in a car with Mr. Lanez, “his security” and a friend when they began arguing. She said she got out of the car to end the argument. | In the August videos, Megan Thee Stallion said that she was in a car with Mr. Lanez, “his security” and a friend when they began arguing. She said she got out of the car to end the argument. |
| “I get out. I’m walking away,” she said. | “I get out. I’m walking away,” she said. |
| Mr. Lanez, she said, started “shooting me” from out of the back of the car. | Mr. Lanez, she said, started “shooting me” from out of the back of the car. |
| She said that she did not accuse Mr. Lanez the night of the shooting because she was worried about what the police might do if they learned there was a gun in the car. | She said that she did not accuse Mr. Lanez the night of the shooting because she was worried about what the police might do if they learned there was a gun in the car. |
| “Even though he shot me, I tried to spare him,” she said. “I didn’t tell the laws what happened as soon as it happened and I should have.” | “Even though he shot me, I tried to spare him,” she said. “I didn’t tell the laws what happened as soon as it happened and I should have.” |
| The Los Angeles Police Department on July 15 issued a news release detailing information they had on the incident and the status of the investigation. | The Los Angeles Police Department on July 15 issued a news release detailing information they had on the incident and the status of the investigation. |
| On July 12, at 4:30 a.m., the police responded to calls reporting gunfire in the Hollywood Hills, the release said. | On July 12, at 4:30 a.m., the police responded to calls reporting gunfire in the Hollywood Hills, the release said. |
| After witnesses provided a description of a vehicle and the people involved, the police said, officers detained “multiple people” at a traffic stop. | After witnesses provided a description of a vehicle and the people involved, the police said, officers detained “multiple people” at a traffic stop. |
| One person, Mr. Lanez, a singer and rapper whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, was arrested and charged with concealing a firearm in the vehicle, the police said. | One person, Mr. Lanez, a singer and rapper whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, was arrested and charged with concealing a firearm in the vehicle, the police said. |
| The release said one person was taken to a hospital to receive medical treatment for a foot injury, but it did not name the victim. | The release said one person was taken to a hospital to receive medical treatment for a foot injury, but it did not name the victim. |
| Records from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department show that Mr. Lanez was released hours after the arrest after posting a $35,000 bond. He has an Oct. 13 court date. | Records from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department show that Mr. Lanez was released hours after the arrest after posting a $35,000 bond. He has an Oct. 13 court date. |
| A police spokesman said on Aug. 21 that investigators had not provided updates in the case. | A police spokesman said on Aug. 21 that investigators had not provided updates in the case. |
| “We are aware of the social media posts that she made,” said Officer William Cooper, the spokesman, about Megan Thee Stallion’s statements on Instagram. | “We are aware of the social media posts that she made,” said Officer William Cooper, the spokesman, about Megan Thee Stallion’s statements on Instagram. |
| Ricardo Santiago, a spokesman for the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, said that the police presented prosecutors a case against Mr. Lanez last month. | Ricardo Santiago, a spokesman for the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, said that the police presented prosecutors a case against Mr. Lanez last month. |
| But prosecutors told investigators they needed more information before they could decide whether to file a charge of felony assault with a semiautomatic firearm, he said. | But prosecutors told investigators they needed more information before they could decide whether to file a charge of felony assault with a semiautomatic firearm, he said. |
| “It’s still all under investigation,” Mr. Santiago said. | “It’s still all under investigation,” Mr. Santiago said. |
| Mr. Lanez, 28, is a singer and rapper from Toronto who may be best known for the songs “Say It” and “Talk to Me,” among others. | Mr. Lanez, 28, is a singer and rapper from Toronto who may be best known for the songs “Say It” and “Talk to Me,” among others. |
| According to a 2015 interview with the hip-hop magazine XXL, Mr. Lanez began rapping after the death of his mother, when he was 11. | According to a 2015 interview with the hip-hop magazine XXL, Mr. Lanez began rapping after the death of his mother, when he was 11. |
| Over the years, he built a loyal fan base and eventually caught the attention of the pop star Justin Bieber, who became a friend and collaborator. After putting out several mixtapes, Mr. Lanez in 2015 signed a deal with Interscope Records and the next year released his debut album, “I Told You,” which featured the Grammy-nominated song “Luv.” | Over the years, he built a loyal fan base and eventually caught the attention of the pop star Justin Bieber, who became a friend and collaborator. After putting out several mixtapes, Mr. Lanez in 2015 signed a deal with Interscope Records and the next year released his debut album, “I Told You,” which featured the Grammy-nominated song “Luv.” |
| Mr. Lanez has since released two more albums, and in April he released the mixtape, “The New Toronto 3,” his final project with Interscope. He is also the host of Quarantine Radio, a variety show with interviews and comedy that raised his profile during the pandemic. | |
| Following more than two months with no comment about the incident, Mr. Lanez returned to social media on Sept. 24 to tease a response, writing, “To my fans … I’m sorry for my silence …. but respectfully .. I got time today.” | |
| What followed was a surprise album released on all streaming platforms, which many listeners on social media saw as crass exploitation of violence against a Black woman. | |
| Across 17 tracks on “Daystar,” the rapper refers to what he described as a romantic relationship with Megan Thee Stallion, comparing them to Jay-Z and Beyoncé, but does not detail his version of events from July 12. Instead, he repeatedly questions hers and paints himself as a victim, targeted by his peers in the music industry, with lyrics like, “Since the event, you never called me, but you can’t deny me/if you got shot from behind, how can you identify me?” | |
| “Daystar” was released independently by Mr. Lanez’s own One Umbrella Records. |