A rapper from Brandon, Ontario, Tory Lanez rose to fame for his 2014 mixtape, Lost Cause. A fan of music (particularly hip hop) ever since he was a boy, he later got into it himself, refining his skills throughout his teen years. At the age of seventeen, he released his debut mixtape dubbed, T.L 2 T.O. Since then, he has released over a dozen additional mixtapes, forty-five singles, an extended play, as well as a studio album.
Born on July 27, 1992, in Brampton, Ontario, Tory Lanez (Real Name: Daystar Peterson) is the son of Sonstar and Luella Peterson. After spending the initial years of childhood in Montreal, his family moved to Miami, Florida, where they settled down. Introduced to rap at a young age, he eventually got involved himself while still in grade school.
Working to refine his skills, he rapped whenever he could into his early teens. Despite his passion for rap however, his hobby eventually came to a screeching halt after he found out that his mother had passed away from a rare illness. Following her death, his father took up work as a missionary which caused them to move frequently across the country. Many years later, they moved to Atlanta, Georgia where he remarried.
From there, Lanez bounced around a few homes- initially sent to live with his older brother in Queens, New York, he was later forced to return to Toronto due to behavioural issues. Rejected by his grandmother who was to take care of him in Canada, he was on his own at the age of fifteen. Dropping out of high school, he lived downtown with three “dudes that [he] didn’t really know” for the next few years.
Despite the less than ideal living conditions, Lanez soon revisited his interest in music. Though he never received any formal training, he was able to land a few gigs and began performing at a number of local venues.
How Tory Lanez Became Famous
Over the next few years, the rapper released a number of mixtapes including Playing or Keeps, Just Landed, One Verse One Hearse, Mr. Peterson, and Chixtape, to name a few.
After years of mediocre success, he hit it big with his 2014 mixtape, Lost Cause. Produced in part by the artist himself, it was made available as a free download on several music websites. Preceded by four singles, its tracklist included Dry Your I’s, Selfish/York University, Henny in Hand, The Godfather, The Mission, Grandma’s Crib, and Mama Told Me. In support of the project, Lanez also headlined his first tour that year.
Tory Lanez’s Other Mixtape Releases
Following up with another mixtape, he released Chixtape III in December 2015. Featuring a guest appearance from Ed Sheeran, the project gave rise to twelve tracks including You Got it Worse…, Walked Out, Juvenile (Freestyle), Came 4 Me, Jalissa’s Friends Pt. 2, and Keisha.
As a Christmas present to fans, he also delivered The New Toronto on the same day. Produced primarily by Play Picasso, one of his longtime collaborators, the track list boasted eleven cuts including Kids From the West, Lord Knows Pt. 2, Letter to the City, Them Days, Makaveli, New Toronto, and Round Here.
Since then, the rapper has dropped two additional mixtapes, Chixtape IV, and The New Toronto 2, both on January 1, 2017.
Tory Lanez’s Album Releases
Having already released several mixtapes, the Canadian rapper dropped his debut EP, Cruel Intentions on June 26, 2015. A blend of electronic and alternative R&B sounds, it came preceded by the single, In For It in April 2015. The rest of the songs include Acting Like, In For It, Fallback, and Honda Civic. Produced by RL Grime, Shlomo, and more, it has since racked up over 180,000 streams on Datpiff.
His debut studio album, I Told You was later made available on August 19, 2016. Recorded in a year, Lanez enlisted the help of several record producers including Two Inch Punch, Cashmere at, and Benny Blanco, for its production. Primarily an R&B record, it also contained hints of dance hall; among its track list were All the Girls, Question Is, Friends with Benefits, Guns and Roses, I Told You/Another One, Dirty Money, Loners Blvd, and Cold Hard Love.
Praised by critics, the album earned positive reviews from many publications- for instance, HotNewHipHop gave it a favourable rating of 80/100. Shortly after its release, I Told You entered the Billboard Top 200 at number four with approximately 53,000 sales, making it Lanez’s first record to reach the US charts. Outside of the United States, it also enjoyed success in Australia, Canada, Belgium, France, Norway, and the UK.
Awards Received by Tory Lanez
A Grammy Award nominee, Tory Lanez has received several nominations throughout his career including ones for a Much Music Video Award (e.g. Best Hip Hop Video), a BET Award (e.g. Best New Artist), a BET Hip Hop Award (e.g. Best New Hip Hop Artist), a Soul Train Music Award (e.g. Best New Artist), and three Juno Award (e.g. Fan Choice Award, Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Rap Recording of the Year).
Tory Lanez’s Love Life
As of July 2016, Tory Lanez is in a relationship with American model, Kaylin Garcia. Previously he’d also dated American rapper, Trina.
Tory Lanez’s Snapchat Name – theargyfargo
Want to add the rapper to your friend’s list on Snapchat? It’s easy- just click here.
Tory Lanez’s Other Social Media Accounts
Tory Lanez’s Facebook Account
If you want to follow him on Facebook, head on over to his official page at @SwaveNation and give him a like- close to 700,000 fans have already done so!
Tory Lanez’s Twitter Account
Don’t want to miss his news and announcements? Be sure to follow the rapper on Twitter – you can find his official account at @torylanez.
Tory Lanez’s Instagram Account
Interested in seeing some behind the scene photos from the rapper himself? Head on over to Instagram and add him at @torylanez! From the looks of it, he’s already got himself close to 2 million fans on the app.
Tory Lanez’s Youtube Account
You can stream many of his tracks over at his official Youtube channel at @keysbrooklyn.
