Canadian rapper Tory Lanez has reportedly been handed a 10-year prison sentence, of which more than seven months have passed since his conviction for shooting fellow artist Megan Thee Stallion during a dispute in 2020.

During a Los Angeles Superior Court hearing that had been delayed, Judge David Herriford announced the sentence for the 30-year-old rapper, whose real name is Daystar Peterson.

A jury found Lanez guilty of charges including carrying an unregistered firearm in a vehicle, assault with a semiautomatic handgun, and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.

Prosecutors claim that Lanez shot Grammy-winning rapper Megan Thee Stallion, 28, resulting in injuries to her feet, after an altercation at a pool party in Hollywood Hills in July 2020.

Witnesses said the shooting followed an argument that escalated when they criticized each other’s music careers, as Megan Thee Stallion remembered during the trial. She eventually recovered her ability to walk through physical therapy after undergoing surgery and four days in the hospital.

Megan Thee Stallion did not attend the sentencing but had her statement read in court, reading it herself as she said, "He not only shot me, he made a mockery of my trauma." It was one filled with the importance of standing up to violence and supporting survivors.

The defence lawyer for Lanez, Jose Baez, expressed disappointment with the sentencing. He said that it was far too severe. Baez indicated that he would appeal Lanez's conviction because of concerns over a fair trial.

Megan Thee Stallion's star-making musical success and multiple Grammy wins and nominations bring to light the general issue of violence against women. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon said such cases often go unreported because they haven't been taken seriously by others, especially by women of colour.

In this celebrity-driven case, the sentencing reflects ongoing conversations about justice and the status of celebrities in legal outcomes.