You may know him as Tory Lanez but, Daystar Peterson, his actual name, the Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer has continued to dip into other genres of music creating a blend of modern day rap, dancehall and his own twist in his own music.
Growing up in a Caribbean influenced home living in Canada his father, Sonstar Peterson is Bajan and his mother Luella is Curaçaoan. Unfortunately, his mother died when he was young and after her death, Lanez’s father began working as an ordained minister and missionary which caused him to move around the United States a lot. His father later remarried and then moved to Atlanta, Georgia.
When Lanez was just 15, he was on his own. He was sent to live with a cousin in New York because of his behavior issues with his father in Atlanta and then later sent to live with his grandmother back in Toronto, but she refused to take care of him.
Despite the hardships that came with having to grow up so fast on his own, Lanez worked hard from there on out. At 16, he dropped out of the tenth grade and began performing songs at outdoor concerts. At 17, he began singing and later developed a stage name other than Tory Lanez; Argentina Fargo.
In an interview from TimeOut, Mr. Lanez explains why he also calls himself Argentina Fargo saying, “When I think of Argentina, I think of something foreign. I think of something outlandish—something far away. And when I think of Fargo, I think of things like Wells Fargo—the bank. When I put foreign and banking together, it’s like foreign money.”
“When I put foreign and banking together, it’s like foreign money.”
Tory Lanez interview for Time Out
Lanez’s music has evolved over the years from when he first started in 2009 and he released his first mixtape ‘T.L 2 T.O.‘ He is known for his mixtapes and just recently released his Chixtape 5. Not only does he do rap and pop but Lanez also creates and collaborates within in Dancehall music and Latin music.
Recently Lanez was featured on a song with upcoming artist Melii, ‘Slow For Me’. This song gives smooth Latin reggae vibes.
Through his music Lanez wants to bring hope. He was inspired by his father in that the world needs hope and Lanez decided to do that through his music.
In an interview conducted by HipHop DX, Lanez said “Always give hope in your music. Show that there is a way for people who are coming from the north, west, east and south. Show them that there is a way, because at the end of the day, as a young kid, I came from being homeless. I’ll always remember that when I was coming up, I just wanted that inspiration from another artist.”
Lanez continues to wow the world with his music and collaborations and may he continue to bring hope to those around the world with not only his story but his music.
