The rapper claims that her alleged assailant begged her not to tell anyone after he purportedly shot her in the feet back in July
In July, Megan Thee Stallion revealed that she was recovering from gunshot wounds after being shot in the feet during an altercation. The following month, the rapper alleged that Tory Lanez was the one responsible for the shooting, addressing him directly in an Instagram Live. “You shot me, and you got your publicist and your people going to these blogs lying and shit,” she said. “Stop lying. Why lie?”
Now, in an interview with GQ, Megan has further opened up about that night, telling the publication that Lanez attempted to buy her silence. “(At this point) I’m really scared,” she said. “Police are just killing everybody for no reason, and I’m thinking, ‘I can’t believe you even think I want to take some money. Like, you just shot me’.”
A lawyer for Lanez (real name Daystar Peterson) has denied the accusation, telling Billboard: “Mr Peterson has never offered money to any witness for their silence or for any other reason. Any reports to the contrary are false.”
Ever since Megan made the accusation against Lanez, a number of stories about the incident have emerged. In September, TMZ exposed a text which Lanez sent to Megan just hours after the alleged shooting. “Shit should never have happened and I can’t change what I did,” it read. “I just feel horrible. Cuz I genuinely just got too drunk.”
Two weeks later, Lanez released his fifth studio album, DAYSTAR, which Pitchfork described as “essentially a concept album” about the shooting. On the album, he mentions Megan by name, claims he was “framed” and is “innocent”, and sings, “How the fuck you get shot in your foot, don’t hit no bones or tendons”. Many music critics refused to review the album, calling it “a project too contemptible to be evaluated on any musical scale”, while Highsnobiety announced they would no longer cover Lanez’s work.
In October, Lanez was charged with felony assault, and, if convicted, faces a possible maximum sentence of 22 years and eight months in prison. Lanez was set to be arraigned on October 13, but it has since been delayed until tomorrow (November 18).
Megan Thee Stallion confirms Tory Lanez shot her, reveals the rapper is not in jail because she didn’t tell police about his involvement:
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) August 21, 2020
“Yes...Tory shot me. You shot me, and you got your publicist and your people going to these blogs lying and sh*t. Stop lying. Why lie?” pic.twitter.com/ZB8JjKCvs8
Megan has spoken a lot about the incident in the months that have followed, particularly addressing the importance of protecting Black women. In an op-ed for The New York Times, Megan addresses the fact that violence against women “happens because too many men treat all women as objects”, asserting that “the issue is even more intense for Black women, who struggle against stereotypes and are seen as angry or threatening when we try to stand up for ourselves and our sisters”. She adds: “Black women are still constantly disrespected and disregarded in so many areas of life.”
In the midst of the drama, Megan has been continuing with her music, dropping the iconic video for “WAP”, holding a virtual concert, and announcing her debut album, Good News, which is set to arrive on Friday (November 20). The rapper also appeared on Saturday Night Live – where she used her performance to demand justice for Breonna Taylor – and launched a global scholarship fund to provide $10,000 bursaries to female students of colour.