Drake has sparked a social media backlash after appearing to call for the release of fellow rapper Tory Lanez.

Last August, Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of shooting hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion.

This weekend, Drake shared an image of Lanez on his Instagram reels, accompanied by the caption: “3 you”. The phrase is widely understood as rhyming slang for “free you”.

The Independent has contacted Drake’s representatives for further comment.

The post has been heavily criticised online, with one X/Twitter user writing: “I swear I don’t be lying to yall. Drake is a very specific and very blatant misogynist and his ‘Free Tory Lanez’ post is only further proof of where he is and may have always been.”

Another X/Twitter user wrote: “Drake, who arguably has one of the largest fanbases in hip-hop, has been actively galvanizing his fanbase of misogynistic men & male identified women to attack a [Black woman] who is a victim of gun violence for a year now, but they’ll still push the narrative that Megan is the problem.”

Drake (left) and Tory Lanez (Getty)

Another user added: “Drake is so pathetic. He always want to beef with women. He dgaf [doesn’t give a f***] about Tory, he just wanted an excuse to keep beefing with Megan cause he never bucks up to men.”

The shooting incident occurred after a 2020 party in the Hollywood Hills.

In a 2022 trial in Los Angeles, a jury heard that Megan Thee Stallion was shot after she and Tory argued in his SUV after leaving a party at the house of Kylie Jenner.

Megan testified that the argument became heated when they began attacking each other’s musical careers.

“I feel like that really rubbed him the wrong way,” she testified, according to The Associated Press. “He kept yelling and cursing.”

Megan – real name Megan Pete – told the court that Lanez had shot a handgun towards the back of her feet and told her to “dance b****” after she got out of his SUV and walked away from it.

She required surgery to remove bullet fragments from her feet and claimed that Tory offered her $1m to stay quiet about the incident as he was on probation.

Following his conviction, Tory Lanez and his fans claimed a miscarriage of justice over his 10-year prison sentence. The Independent’s Nicole Vassell wrote that it’s about time Black women’s traumatic experiences were taken seriously.