Iggy Azalea is hoping to help Tory Lanez get back on his feet once he gets out of prison by hiring a few of the employees he left behind.
It was recently revealed that the Australian rapper had penned a lengthy letter to Tory’s judge ahead of his sentencing in the Megan Thee Stallion shooting case.
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In the letter, which was written in February, she claimed that the Canadian rapper (real name Daystar Peterson) wasn’t an “abuser” and that she hoped the judge would offer him some “leniency” when it came to sentencing him.
While her letter of support was largely unsuccessful, with Lanez being given 10 years for the July 2020 shooting, she did reveal that she’s hired six members of the incarcerated rapper’s team to help both them and Tory “get back to work” once he regains his freedom.
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“Since Daystar remains in jail, many of his employees are left without work,” she wrote in part. “I took it upon myself to hire six of his staff members, full time.
“I did this not only because they are great hardworking people, but so that they remain in a position to transition back into running his business when he’s completed his sentence. I’m doing all I can to make sure he’s in a position to come home and get back to work.”
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Elsewhere in her three-page letter, Iggy Azalea wrote: “I deeply appreciate the person he is and have never witnessed him [lose] his temper or raise his voice at a woman.”
She added that Tory Lanez confided in her back in February that he was happy that “God put him “in jail,” and that he saw this as an opportunity to “soften his heart.”
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“I’m not shocked – Its who he is,” she wrote. “Watering and shining a light on others until something beautiful grows. Daystar Peterson is not the pest you’ve heard about, he’s a gardener. He helps others bloom.”
While the “Fancy” rapper inevitably faced pushback for the letter online, she took to Twitter on Wednesday (August 9) to clap back at her critics.
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“I really wish people would read and also take into account context,” she wrote in a since-deleted tweet. “I’m not trying to get anyone out. I have never said I think he should not be held accountable or serve time. EVER.
“It’s a letter about the sentencing he was going to be handed and as we all know that was a min 5 years … a light sentence here in the context is FIVE YEARS. Not Freedom.”
It was reported during Tory Lanez’s sentencing earlier this week that Judge David Herriford had received over 70 letters in support of the rapper, with one of the most notable coming from Azalea.
When word initially spread of her letter, she also took to Twitter to address the backlash, claiming that she isn’t on any particular “side” in the case and simply supports prison reform.
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“For the record: 1. I have not been in touch with tory for months, I have no reason to be, but I do wish him well,” she wrote. “2. I don’t ‘support’ anyone. the whole thing is full of oddities. My letter never mentioned anything in regard to what happened that night.”
“3. I was told this was for a judge only, yet it’s being discussed in public? I never intended to publicly comment. 4. I am not in support of throwing away ANY ones life if we can give reasonable punishments that are rehabilitative instead. I support prison reform. Period.”
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She continued: “5. I was asked to write about my genuine experience and the type of punishment I think he deserves: I did. “It’s not really that interesting but I understand why it’s being sensationalized. . . [shrug emoji] See ya next week to discuss pizza toppings I suppose. Lol.”
Iggy and Tory sparked dating rumors last year after they were spotted having dinner together in Miami over the summer. Iggy later gifted Tory an elaborate cake for his birthday, which he thanked her for on social media, calling her “baby girl.”
