Toronto Rapper Top5 Appears to Thank Drake "For The Lawyer Fees" After Being Set Free in Murder Case

Toronto rapper Top5 was set free on Monday (Sept. 23) after three years in custody. The artist, born Hassan Ali, had his charge of first-degree murder stayed by the Crown in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.

The rapper posted a photo of himself with his lawyer Gary Grill on Instagram soon after the decision. Many, including DJ Akademiks, quickly reposted the image with its apparent original caption thanking Drake for paying his legal fees: "Shoutout big bro @champagnepapi for the Lawyer Fees & Gary Grill for being the best lawyer in Toronto. #ALLAHUAKBAR"

Top5's edited caption thanks his lawyer without the reference to Drake (a.k.a. @champagnepapi on Instagram.)

The rapper had been charged in the death of 20-year-old accounting student Hashim Omar Hashi, who was murdered in Toronto in 2021. Ali was arrested in Windsor, Ontario about two weeks after the shooting and had served three years in custody. Initially charged as an accessory after the fact, the charge against him was upgraded to first-degree murder. He was about to undergo trial when the proceedings were halted on Monday, the Toronto Star reports.

The Crown (essentially the prosecution in criminal cases in Canada) suspended its case against Ali when the judge disallowed Top5 social media posts as evidence in the trial. The Crown had intended to use posts referring to the Go Getem Gang to link Ali to the murder as part of a gang rivalry. Ali claims that his references to Go Getem Gang are to the record label of the same name.

"An innocent man just came home," Ali said outside the courthouse after the decision.

Grill said the case against Ali was based on his persona as a drill artist and that the Crown was using his lyrics against him.

"The problem about prosecuting artists like Mr. Ali based on their music is it fails to understand what the medium is, what it's about, and how drillers approach their audiences," Grill said, as reported by CBC. "It's important for all drillers to portray themselves as the biggest, baddest gangsters on the planet. That's what sells. That's what all drillers are doing."

With a stay ruling, the Crown now has a year to restart the proceedings.