A reminder to Drake and others: Tory Lanez is not a witness

Drake appeals to the masses like a seasoned advertising executive. She knows that if she shares something as simple as a new hairstyle she will choke social media for days on end. So when he called for Tory Lanez's freedom on his Instagram story, he knew he'd get similar visibility to activists screaming “Free Meek Mill” from the streets of Philadelphia. On Monday, Drake posted a photo of Tory and “3 You,” a version of “Free You,” where the three were supposed to represent open handcuffs.

“Free [Insert Person”] it is the standard cultural language in communities of color. “Free Meek” was a stand against the Philly rapper's protracted ordeal. “Free Mumia [Abu-Jamal]” is about supporting a freedom fighter who people believe was wrongfully convicted. Other times, as with “Free Bobby Shmurda,” it can be a complicated admission that even if we know someone was wrong, we understand that systemic inequality can encourage bad choices by good people, effectively creating a long-term form of entrapment.

You may scream “free” someone as an advocate, lover or compassionate. But screaming “Free Tory Lanez”, is a stupid move.

Last August, Tory was sentenced to 10 years in a California prison for shooting Megan Thee Stallion in 2020. In December 2022, he was convicted of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and discharging a firearm from gross negligence.

He is on a recorded call apologizing to Megan's ex-girlfriend Kelsey for an unknown complaint that many are assuming is Megan's shooting. During the deposition, Kelsey called the idea that she shot Megan “ridiculous.” A witness at the trial testified that he saw a “short man”, said to be the Tories, fire “four to five” shots and then beat Meghan as she lay bleeding in the fetal position. But despite plenty of evidence pointing to his guilt, Drake, Chris Brown, Meek Mill and others have since expressed their solidarity with Tory. Are they saying they don't believe Megan or don't care what happened to her?

From that night on, people treated the shooting like a soap opera or binary fandom instead of a traumatic incident that someone should atone for. On “Cobra,” Megan rapped about dealing with depression, alcohol addiction, and suicidal ideation since she was shot. Her account of that night was scrutinized by armchair sleuths, and mocked relentlessly by entertainers and consumers alike. Tori even joined the circus, chopping off a horse's leg in his “CAP” video. As I noted earlier about Tina and Ike Turner, hip-hop has a tendency to overplay it, perhaps because many of its ancestors are so predisposed to toxic behavior and violence that we don't know how to take domestic violence seriously. But that dynamic almost always devolves into disrespectful female survivors, and it's no excuse for how Megan is treated.

Drake's had a lot of strange conversations with women over the past few years. During a recent stop at his Big As The What tour, he made a point to play “Work” with Rihanna and then tell the crowd that he was no longer performing the song. This comes on the heels of her and A$AP Rocky's sentencing For all dogs “Fear of heights.” And, most disturbingly, cried out rapper and friend Baka Not Nice, who in 2015 pleaded guilty to assaulting a 22-year-old woman he was accused of forcing into sex trafficking. The woman did not testify in the case, so she was not tried on the latest charge. While Baca was incarcerated, Drake rhymed, “I might call it a holiday when Baca gets back on the road,” on 2015's “Know Yourself.” Would women be invited to that celebration? Maybe Drake should head to his room full of bras and think about whether he really cares about the humanity of any of the former owners.

It is not clear when he and Megan, who photographed together in 2019, first fell out. In 2022, he rapped “that bitch down to get shots but she still a stallion” on Her loss “Circo Loco.” Last summer, he intended to clarify “not that Meg” while calling out photographer MegYup during It's All A Blur tour. And now, after Megan may have dissed him over the “Hiss” (deliberately refraining from naming names so the smitten dogs can howl) she has backed her attacker.

Drake is also not the first person to speak out for the Tories following the conviction. Chris Brown, who attacked Rihanna and has been charged with more than 20 counts of violence (many against women), called out “Free Tory” on streamer Adin Ross' live stream, calling Tory “a solid dude.” His morally questionable comments are not surprising.

Last July, Meek Mill shouted “Free Tory” while performing. He later doubled down, tweeting: “I say free young thug…free Lucci…free Meli I don't even know why you'd even start messing with us if you go try to badmouth us.” Of course, there is a layer of nuance. Abolitionists believe the justice system is inherently racist and should be eradicated. But even these progressives were not too sorry when Tory was convicted because of his behavior and arrogance throughout the trial. Restorative justice advocates believe there can be a world where people who commit violence can take responsibility and apologize to the person they hurt, and everyone can heal without the need for prison.

There is a belief that the modern justice system, which essentially requires a suspect to deny guilt, does not help a survivor heal, and the inhumane conditions of prison are certainly not a rehabilitation environment for offenders. Some abolitionists may believe that Tories should not be jailed because there should be no jails in the first place. This is a complicated discussion. But it's also unlikely that Drake, Brown or Meek were saying “Free Tory” through an abolitionist lens — they were just trying to support the boys' club.

Despite Tory's belief, the bowels of the gossip blogosphere, run by misogynistic podcasters and streamers, are still clinging to rumors of suppressed videos and secret witnesses and anything else that can be seen as fairy dust to legally exonerate the Toronto artist and confirm their twisted belief that women are never to be trusted. It's sad to think that so many of the biggest names in music allow this group.

Despite their increasingly blatant misogyny, artists like Drake still boast devoted fans who will push him to record streaming numbers and refer to him as their figurative “husband.” It is more proof that a black woman's defense of a convicted felon is not a grave sin. If anything, it's the norm. How long are we going to let it stand?