Tory Lanez entered the music scene in 2009 as a rapper, singer and composer, but where did he grow up?
Tory Lanez moved around a lot when he was younger. He was born in Ontario, Canada, but would also live in Montreal, Florida, Georgia and New York as he grew up.
Read on to learn more about Tory Lanez’ upbringing.
From Place To Place
Tory Lanez was born in Brampton, Ontario in 1992 to Caribbean parents. His mother, Luella, and his father, Sonstar, were missionary preachers, and often travelled in their line of work. Tory Lanez has explained that he had a fairly sheltered upbringing as a result of his parents’ lifestyles.
In an interview, Tory Lanez explained at length about the area he grew up in. He referenced it as a “big melting pot” of nationalities, stating that there were people of all cultures and backgrounds. This was how he described Toronto, where he lived until he was five years of age.
You can see this interview on YouTube, wherein Lanez explains in depth about his family and upbringing.
It was around that point when Tory Lanez and his family first moved, travelling into the United States and relocating to Miami, Florida. This is where Lanez would spend the majority of his childhood as he grew up.
It was here that Tory Lanez’ mother died, when he was just eleven years old. She passed after succumbing to a rare disease that affected just four in every one million people. Tory paid a small tribute to his mother in a 2012 Facebook post, stating: “My mother died , but I know she styll looks down on me every mothers day.” After this tragic event occurred, Lanez’ life and upbringing took a turn for the worst.
His father was mostly absent, owing to his line of work, meaning Tory Lanez was now left without any consistent authoritative figure in his life. His father subsequently remarried and relocated the family once again, to Atlanta, Georgia. This is where his troubles began, as he started acting out and getting into trouble.
Another transition as he grew up saw Lanez move once more, to New York. In 2006, Lanez was sent to live with his cousin in Jamaica, Queens, but wouldn’t spend long in the city before he was once again relocated.
When Lanez was around fifteen years old, he was sent back to Toronto. This time, he was destined to live with his grandmother. However, she refused to care for him, forcing Lanez to take to the streets. As a result, he immediately hit his lowest point, literally fighting for survival and taking part in criminal activities.
Turning It Around
At this point, and considerably grown up now, Lanez began experimenting with music. He dropped out of school and began performing at small concerts, both rapping and singing. Lanez has claimed that his talent is natural, and he’s never been mentored or had professional training of any kind.
He released a debut mixtape in 2009 and uploaded a few videos to YouTube, in the hope of gathering interest. The tactics paid off massively, and he was noticed by top industry name, Sean Kingston. The pair met, with Kingston encouraging Lanez to almost immediately perform, and history was made.
Lanez went on to release four albums in just four years. He won, and was nominated for, several prestigious awards, including Canada’s variant of the Grammy Awards. Successful by the age of just twenty-four, Lanez boasted a net worth of around two and a half million dollars by 2020.
While growing up, Tory Lanez undoubtedly had his fair share of struggles. However, he proved that he was able to turn it around essentially all by himself, and become a successful artist.