Canadian rapper Drake has publicly voiced his support for fellow artist Tory Lanez, urging California Governor Gavin Newsom to grant Lanez a pardon.
In a post shared via Instagram, Drake included a link to a Change.org petition titled “Correct a Deep Injustice,” alongside the caption, “@torylanez come home soon.”
The petition, which has garnered over 250,000 signatures at the time of reporting, alleges that Lanez’s 2023 conviction lacked sufficient physical evidence and accuses the justice system of unfairly targeting him. It also calls on Governor Newsom to remove what it describes as “politically motivated sentencing enhancements.”
Tory Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, is currently serving a 10-year sentence for the 2020 shooting of fellow rapper Megan Thee Stallion. A jury found Lanez guilty of firing a gun that wounded Megan in the foot following an argument in a vehicle after a party in Hollywood Hills.
The push for a pardon comes amid renewed public interest in Lanez’s case after reports surfaced that he was stabbed 14 times by another inmate. Sources close to the situation revealed that Lanez was treated at a medical facility in Bakersfield earlier in the week before being returned to the prison hospital.
Though the case was tried in California state court, meaning Governor Newsom does have the authority to issue a pardon, there has been no official comment from the governor’s office on the matter. Drake’s endorsement adds celebrity weight to the campaign, but it remains uncertain whether it will influence any political or legal outcomes.