Tory Lanez Declines Plea Deal; Faces Felony Charges for Assaulting Megan Thee Stallion

Creator of the “hot girl summer” phenomenon, Megan Thee Stallion has had an eventful two years for several reasons. She dropped her debut record, Good News, in 2020 which included the viral remix of “Savage” featuring Beyoncé. Megan was then featured on the norm-defying track, “WAP,” by rap sensation Cardi B. More recently, Megan dropped a surprise mixtape, Something for Thee Hotties, on October 29.

In addition to her musical content, Megan picked up several awards in 2020 and 2021 including being named one of the 100 most influential people by Time magazine in 2020.

The emcee has been in the news for other reasons as well. In the summer of 2020, Megan revealed she was shot in her feet by Canadian rapper Tory Lanez. The latter now faces two felony charges of assault with a semiautomatic firearm in addition to carrying an unregistered firearm in a vehicle.

November 3, the deadline for Lanez to reach a plea deal, passed without an agreement. Lanez officially declined the plea deal and he will go to trial facing his assault charges.

Stallion previously spoke out regarding this incident in her 2020 New York Times Op-Ed titled “Megan Thee Stallion: Why I Speak Up for Black Women.” In this self-authored piece, Stallion states: “Black women are still constantly disrespected and disregarded in so many areas of life. I was recently the victim of an act of violence by a man. After a party, I was shot twice as I walked away from him. We were not in a relationship. Truthfully, I was shocked that I ended up in that place.”

Lanez’s arraignment is currently set for November 18, and he faces a maximum sentence of 22 years and eight months in prison if convicted.

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