Megan Thee Stallion’s ongoing court case against rapper Tory Lanez in Los Angeles over a shooting incident that took place two years ago should be a top story everywhere. Instead, it is being swept under the rug while a potential victim of domestic abuse is mocked for standing up for herself.
The case itself raises a larger question: Why is the “don’t snitch” mentality so common in black culture? I answered it on my show today. You can watch it here.
I also wanted to talk about it in my column today.
Now, if you don’t know who she is, Megan Thee Stallion is one-half of the now infamous “WAP” song with Cardi B.
The song, which stands for “wet a** p****” is entirely degrading toward women. It reduces women to their body parts and is not worthy of support.
Yet just because I don’t support her music, doesn’t mean this story should be dismissed. The story, if true, is hideous. The fact that the alleged person involved in it has not been canceled is incredible.
Here’s a brief recap of the alleged story:
Megan Thee Stallion was dating a rapper named Tory Lanez — his real name is Daystar Peterson.
One night, Megan, her best friend Kelsey, and Tory Lanez left a party. A driver came to pick them up when a fight between Meghan Thee Stallion and Tory Lanez broke out in the car. The singer asked to get out of the car and the driver pulled over.
Megan got out of the vehicle and, now alleges, that Tory Lanez whipped out his gun and said, “Dance b****” and then fired bullets into the ground, forcing her to jump around — except he landed one on Megan’s foot.
It seems as if there is evidence backing up this story — including that Meghan’s best friend, Kelsey, texted the singer’s bodyguard — who was not present — and said, “Help. Tory shot Meg. 911.”
Somebody nearby the incident heard the sound of gunfire and called the police, according to authorities.
At some point, Megan and her entourage continued driving when the police pulled them over.
In police footage, you can see that Megan was limping and there was a trail of blood behind her. Officers made them get on the ground to assess the situation. Meghan Thee Stallion then required surgery on her foot.
All of that is alleged and has not been proven in court.
Now, I know that we live in a world where our ‘words are violence’ and ‘silence is violence.’
But, it sounds like this was real, physical violence. Some of the worst violence you can ever imagine between a man and a woman.
So what happened next?
Well, there was a lot of speculation in the press. People claimed they didn’t know what happened, but I can tell you what happened online.
Megan was mocked by women and men alike — particularly in black culture. Many found it funny that she got shot in the foot and had to get surgery performed.
The case overall has received very little attention. More curiously though is that the witnesses involved are practically nowhere to be found.
According to Megan Thee Stallion’s testimony, Tory Lanez offered her and her friend Kelsey $1,000,000 a piece to make this story go away and not file charges. He is from Canada and if found guilty could be deported after serving jail time.
Megan, according to her statements, refused that money. Based on her story, this woman is a victim. I don’t think she shot herself in the foot and then decided to go to the hospital. Something happened in that car.
But then the “no snitching culture” reared its ugly head, it seems.
Kelsey, who was in the car, and texted her bodyguard when the disputed incident happened — now doesn’t recall anything. When Kelsey recently took the stand in the trial and said, “I honestly don’t remember” more times than not.
So maybe she accepted the million dollars to keep her mouth shut — though she denies it. Maybe she’s thinking that in the rap world it’s best to avoid being a “snitch.”
The bodyguard she texted cannot be found. Nobody knows why he didn’t show up for questioning in court.
For his part, Tory Lanez is showing up well-dressed at these court hearings and arguing that Megan is lying. He’s actually dropped songs about the event. This case is now Megan’s word vs. Tory’s.
The culture is on Tory’s side — no one’s canceled him for any of this. He didn’t just allegedly say something violent. He is being accused of actual violence.
I have not seen mass demands for cancellation of his sponsorships or calls for his record label to drop him.
I cannot imagine being Megan Thee Stallion — having suffered something so obviously traumatic yet being surrounded by absolute vultures more concerned with staying cool within the culture.
I cannot imagine what it’s like going to an event and realizing people don’t care. Your alleged abuser is still allowed into all of the same rooms as you. People are still applauding him online, and fellow artists haven’t spoken out in your defense either.
Lastly — and I want to choose my words very carefully here because I am not trying to blame the victim in this circumstance — at a certain point, there is going to have to be a reckoning in black culture on our music. Artists must realize that even in the music that we create — the music that Megan Thee Stallion creates — we perpetuate the kind of culture that allows something like this to take place.
When you devalue and abuse women in your music and young people listen to that music, then they start to believe that women should also be degraded in the real world. When you reduce yourself in your music, you can become reduced in the real world.
All of it needs fixing. It is so wrong. It is so backward. It is so horrific.
I am going to pray out loud that Meghan Thee Stallion gets justice. I hope that the “no snitching” culture, as well the entertainment culture that treats women so poorly, comes to an end.