Is Justin Bieber collaborating with fellow Canadian artist Tory Lanez, who is awaiting trial on charges related to the shooting of Megan Thee Stallion?
The pair are seen in a recording studio in a photo Lanez shared on Instagram this week.
“One of the most honest and solid people I’ve met throughout my career … incredible human being,” Lanez captioned the shot – accompanied by flexing, champagne and fire emojis. “Timeless soul ! I owe bro 1000000 favors.”
Lanez called Bieber his “lil big bro.”
Bieber did not share the photo on his Instagram account.
It is not known when the photo was taken nor if the two are working on new music together – but in the comments, Lanez’s fans celebrated a possible collaboration.
The rapper is facing up to 22 years and 8 months in prison if convicted of firing a gun at Megan Thee Stallion in 2020. (Lanez has pleaded not guilty to charges of assault with a firearm and possession of an unregistered gun.)
Lanez told Billboard in 2016 he and Bieber – who is featured on his 2011 track "Wind It" – have been “supporting each other’s music for a long, long, long time.” He recalled how the two met in Toronto. “He was actually the person who got me my first deal,” Lanez recalled. “It’s weird. He’s done a lot of stuff for me.
“When I was younger, he was supposed to be the person I signed with, but at the time, he was too young to sign me.”
In a 2016 interview with Teen Vogue, Lanez recalled getting a call from Bieber at 3 a.m. “He said, ‘Yo, man. We have to just be better people in life, come on, let's go get baptized together.’ It was the craziest thing and I said alright,” he said. "He was so serious about it. He kept saying, ‘We should be better people, know what I mean?’”
In 2019, Bieber was criticized for defending Chris Brown and referring to the singer’s assault on Rihanna as “a mistake.”