Tory Lanez

Daystar Shemuel Shua Peterson, professionally known as Tory Lanez, was born on July 27, 1992, in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. His early life was marked by frequent moves across the United States due to his father’s work as a minister and missionary, following the death of his mother at age eleven. This period of instability, including living independently from age 15 in Toronto, shaped his early experiences. He began his music career in 2009, releasing mixtapes like ‘T.L 2 T.O.’, and gained initial recognition after being discovered by Sean Kingston, who saw his freestyling video online in 2010. Lanez signed with Kingston’s Time is Money Entertainment in 2011 before choosing to become an independent artist.

Lanez continued to build his discography with several mixtapes, including ‘Conflicts of My Soul: The 416 Story’ (2013) and ‘Chixtape II’ (2014). He initiated his ‘Fargo Fridays’ series in 2014, consistently releasing new music or videos, which further expanded his online presence. In 2015, he signed with Benny Blanco’s Mad Love Records, an imprint of Interscope Records. His debut studio album, ‘I Told You’ (2016), featured successful singles ‘Say It’ and ‘Luv,’ which peaked on the Billboard Hot 100. Over the next few years, he released ‘Memories Don’t Die’ (2018), ‘Love Me Now?’ (2018), and ‘Chixtape 5’ (2019), with ‘Memories Don’t Die’ topping the Canadian Albums Chart.

By 2020, Lanez became an independent artist after fulfilling his contract with Interscope Records, releasing his fifth album, ‘Daystar,’ and demonstrating his commitment to owning his masters and publishing rights. He also gained significant attention for hosting his ‘Quarantine Radio’ on Instagram Live during the COVID-19 pandemic, setting platform records for live viewers. His later albums include the 1980s-inspired ‘Alone at Prom’ (2021) and ‘Sorry 4 What’ (2022). In 2023, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison following his conviction for the shooting of Megan Thee Stallion in 2020.