How did Tory Lanez come up with his name?

No, his birth name is Daystar Peterson. His friend Hakeem gave him the nickname ‘Lanez’ due to the rapper’s troublemaking tendencies – he used to run into roads and play in the lanes, without looking at the traffic.

Daystar Peterson was dubbed Tory Lanez as a young child—with “Tory” coming from his desire to be called something along the lines of the Notorious B.I.G., and “Lanez” referencing his younger self running through the streets.

While he’s certainly no stranger to the scene (his growing list of collaborations include Bun B, DJ Mustard, Meek Mill, YG, Kirko Bangz, G-Eazy, Rockie Fresh… the list goes on), Tory Lanez has been through quite the journey to get where he is now. Less than a decade since living on the streets of downtown Toronto at the age of 14, the now-22 year old is in the middle of his first headlining tour, named after his latest mixtape, Lost cause. Although it’s not his first project, it feels as though Lanez has premiered himself in a new way this year—highlighted by collaborations with tastemaker producers like RL Grime, Ryan Hemsworth, Noah Breakfast, while adding a lot of his own production.

The rapper (or wait, singer?) gets the Drake, or even Weeknd, comparison a lot, but it doesn’t take much listening to realize there’s something different about Lanez—something that sets him apart from all the other artists out there, whether it be rap, hip-hop… Tory Lanez is bringing you the euphoria that is Canadian rap and hip-hop—with his own personal touch of “swavey.” We managed to land a rare phone interview with Lanez right after his run of Texas shows and before his show in Atlanta—and just in time for his upcoming gig at Wedster Hall this Wednesday. When Lanez picks up the phone, he lightens the mood, answering, “I’ve been expecting you, Vivienne…”

Luckily, Lanez is a down-to-earth, coolass dude. The interview ends up being a casual, forty-minute phone call, with a couple interruptions for which Lanez apologizes profusely. First, he’s stuck at the bank, settling his business and personal credit cards before he flies off to Atlanta (“I’m sorry, this bank lady’s kind of messing up my thought process… I’m sorry, she just came and said some wild shit to me!”). Later, he leaves the bank, only to find his crew whilin’ out (“My fuckin’ friends are so wild. We’re in the middle of the bank parking lot, and they got this door open, blasting music and dancin’ and doing dumb shit!”). Regardless, the whole experience gives me that much more of a feel for what a typical day in the life of Lanez is like.