Megan Thee Stallion’s Assault Turned A Punchline In Hip Hop. No Verdict Can Ever Change That [Updated]

Megan Thee Stallion whose legal name is Megan Pete arrives at court to testify in the trial of Rapper Tory Lanez for allegedly shooting her on Tuesday, Dec.  13, 2022 in Los Angeles, CA.

Megan Thee Stallion whose authorized identify is Megan Pete arrives at court docket to testify within the trial of Rapper Tory Lanez for allegedly capturing her on Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022 in Los Angeles, CA.
Photograph: Jason Armond (AP)

Up to date 12/23/2022 at 6:44 pm ET

Rapper Tory Lanez has been discovered responsible of all costs within the 2020 capturing of Megan Thee Stallion, a jury selected Friday.

The final two and a half years have been hell for Megan Thee Stallion. The emcee, whose authorized identify is Megan Pete, is at the moment awaiting a verdict within the case of Tory Lanez (whose actual identify is Daystar Peterson). Peterson is accused of being accused capturing Pete in July 2020 after leaving a celebration on the Hollywood Hills residence of Kylie Jenner. The jury is at the moment deliberating because the defendant is charged with assault with a firearm, possession of a hid firearm and negligent discharge of a gun.

If Peterson is convicted on all counts and two sentencing enhancements, he may obtain as much as 23 years in jail. Ever since Pete named Peterson because the alleged shooter, he has been subjected to unrelenting quantities of ridicule, harassment and hate. No matter whether or not or not he’s discovered responsible or acquitted, no verdict will ever undo the injury inflicted on Megan by the identical neighborhood he wants to guard her.

As quickly as information broke in regards to the incident, Purple Haze rapper Cam’ron could not wait to make a transphobic joke at her expense: “Tory Lanez noticed that d*ck and began capturing.” 50 Cent, who’s famously recognized for surviving a number of shootings himself, could not transfer quick sufficient to create a submit that featured Pete and Peterson in a Boyz within the Hood memes, which additionally depicted violence. “Basketball Wives” star Draya Michele was keen to color the alleged altercation as romantic love gone flawed.

“I predict that they’ve some form of Bobby [Brown] & Whitney [Houston] love that drove them down this sort of street,” she mentioned in a podcast. “I am right here for it. I like that. I would like you to love me a lot you shoot me within the foot, too.” Regardless of hole apologies and retractions for callous remarks, Meg nonetheless by no means obtained the assist she deserved. She acknowledged as a lot shortly after discussing her accidents:

“Black ladies are so unprotected & we maintain so many issues as a way to defend the sentiments of others w/o contemplating our personal. It is likely to be humorous to y’all on the web and simply one other messy subject so that you can speak about however that is my actual life and I am actual life damage and traumatized.” Nonetheless, she confronted vicious rumors calling her a liar with some folks stating that she wasn’t even shot within the first place.

In a tearful Instagram reside video, the star once more needed to plead her case. “I used to be shot in each of my toes. I needed to get surgical procedure … to get the bullets taken out, and it was tremendous scary. It is not humorous. There’s nothing to joke about. There was nothing for y’all to begin making faux tales about. I did not put my palms on no one. I did not need to get shot.”

That did not cease the hate from accumulating. Peterson made a observe shortly after referred to as “Cash Over Fallouts” the place he primarily referred to as her a liar: “How do you get shot in your foot, do not hit no bones or tendons?” When she addressed the capturing on wax with a observe titled “Photographs Fired” from her in November 2020 debut album Excellent news, it led to a shocking rebuttal from Meg’s former pal Kelsey Harris simply days later.

Harris, who was additionally current throughout the capturing, launched a diss observe (regardless that she wasn’t a musician) referred to as “Bussin Again” by which she claimed all Pete wanted to do was “clear [her] finest pal’s identify.” DaBaby, who beforehand collaborated with Pete on her music “Cry Child,” introduced out Peterson—regardless of the allegations towards him—as a shock visitor throughout his July 2021 Rolling Loud Miami set.

DaBaby, born Jonathan Kirk, would then go on to launch a observe referred to as “Boogeyman” earlier this 12 months by which he mentioned he had a sexual relationship with Pete. All of this, together with Joe Budden utilizing his eponymous podcast on a number of events to mock Pete and different hip hop personalities like DJ Akademiks reporting false data in regards to the capturing, came about earlier than Peterson’s trial ever started.

When it did lastly begin earlier this month, it corroborated what Megan had said. She was shot that night. She did have surgical procedure to take away bullet fragments. What occurred to her wasn’t a lie. Peterson’s protection is that Harris pulled the set off—not that Pete was by no means attacked. Regardless of all of this irrefutable proof, it hasn’t modified the actual fact hip hop nonetheless derives the severity of this example by making Pete the punchline of their jokes.

50 cent continues to be posting memes implying that Meg is a liar. Drake by no means apologized for his “Circo Loco” lyrics that said: “This bitch lie ’bout getting pictures, however she’s nonetheless a stallion / She do not even get the joke, however she’s nonetheless smiling.” When Pete’s former stylist, EJ King, made a weird Instagram posts about testifying at Peterson’s trial, hip hop personas just like the aforementioned Budden, BIA, and Emily B (who’s an alleged sufferer of home violence herself) shortly jumped to giggle on the feedback.

We have seen how the world makes mild of Black ladies’s trauma and ache particularly on the subject of violence dedicated towards them (ie Tina Turner and Rihanna); hip hop is notoriously criticized for glorifying it. Nevertheless, it’s past disheartening to look at this play out towards Pete in actual time. On the trial, she examined: “I want he would’ve simply shot and killed me if I knew I used to be going to should undergo this torture.”

The 27-year-old emcee may have misplaced her life that night time, however the hazard she was positioned in is being downplayed. Let’s be clear there’ll by no means be something humorous about what Pete skilled—and what Black ladies proceed to be subjected to each day.