It looks like Tory Lanez’s reign as prison’s hottest rapper just came to an abrupt end. As we told you back in July, the “LUV” rapper announced he’d be dropping weekly “Free Tory” playlists with all new music recorded over a jail phone.
At the time of the surprise announcement, he expressed to fans how excited he was to finally have” cracked the code” to still bring good quality music to his fans so they wouldn’t have to go without.
“It’s over. I done cracked the f***ing code, man. This means that not even these prison walls can stop me from dropping new music. It’s crazy!” he said at the time.
He later added: “It speaks testimony to the fact that no matter where they put me, they can’t lock down my spirit, my ambition, my soul my passion nor my destiny!”
Now, unfortunately, it seems like his destiny will, in fact, be delayed thanks to yet another development shared by the chief deputy of his legal team and CEO of Unite the People Ceasar McDowell.
Confirming the news to TMZ on Monday, McDowell revealed that prison guards at California Correctional Institution raided Lanez’s cell and confiscated the recording equipment he had stashed in order to still make his music while serving out his sentence. Per the rules of the facility, recording devices of any kind are “strictly forbidden” for inmates. There’s been no word yet on whether or not Lanez will face any repercussions for his actions.
However, in a new post to his Instagram on Tuesday, Lanez’s spoke out about the ordeal and took the time to clarify a few things. He insisted that his cell wasn’t trashed or raided due to the “prison tapes” he was making but rather what he was doing with the tapes afterwards.
He went to explain how he was using all the proceeds from this music to go towards legal representation of some of his fellow inmates and that once the “higher ups” got wind of it—they shut it down. He also alleged that thus far he’s helped get representation for 472 inmates and “actively reopened 476 cases.”
“ I made a plan that when I got to prison, I would figure out a way to record music and put all the proceeds towards the legal representation of my fellow inmates, giving them a once in a lifetime chance to go home to their families on appeal and resentencing,” he said, in part.
He concluded:
Although the “HIGHER UPS” have stopped ‘The Prison Tapes’ temporarily, they were too late to stop my overall plan. Since the month of July, l’ve afforded legal representation for 472 inmates and actively reopened 476 cases. With the help of legal firm ‘UNITE THE PEOPLE’, so many inmates will be returned to their families and loved ones. I’m naming this ‘The Hands of God Project.’
Lastly, they know I’m a threat and they don’t want me saying or doing this so if ANYTHING happens to me, just know I went out in the blaze of glory trying to revolutionize the end of a mass incarceration era on our people.
Philanthropic endeavor or not, that didn’t stop folks online from basking in Lanez’s setback and many took to social media to make fun of the situation.
“Tory lanez trying to seduce the COs into getting his recording equipment back,” joked one user on X/Twitter posting a video of TikTok influencer Dev the Menace dancing in his kitchen.
“Nicki minaj spiraling…. taylor swift cancelled…. tory lanez jail cell raided…. this is a huge day for me! HUGE!” wrote one user.
“Lmaooo people are in a frenzy about Tory Lanez recording equipment being taken in jail …. HE’S IN JAIL lmaoo tf he ain’t special,” said another.
“They let Tory Lanez have that recording equipment until Blueface got transferred to the same jail. Lmao Idk what happened I’m just listing the chain of events,” noted another.
Regardless of if Lanez gets his equipment back or not, this stands to be the second blow to the “Say It” singer as he continues to serve out his 10-year prison sentence: Back in June, it was announced that his wife wife Raina Chassagne had filed for divorce. She cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason behind her filing and was reportedly seeking legal and physical custody of their seven-year-old son Kai’lon.
There’s been no update on where their divorce stands.