Onefour

The core members grew up in Mount Druitt, one of Sydney's most disadvantaged suburbs. They knew each other from their schools and their local church (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). Onefour members still identify as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They are of Samoan descent.{{cite web | last=Riley | first=Christopher | title=OneFour: The rise of Australia's most exciting and most controversial music group | website=GQ Australia | date=21 January 2020 | url=https://www.gq.com.au/entertainment/music/onefour-the-rise-of-australias-most-exciting-and-most-controversial-music-group/image-gallery/5634fec326236f2a6251ccbbb0e067ca | access-date=16 November 2023}}{{cite web | last=Mehrotra | first=Kriti | title=Celly: The OneFour Member is a Free Man Today | website=The Cinemaholic | date=26 October 2023 | url=https://thecinemaholic.com/celly-onefour-member/ | access-date=16 November 2023}}

Onefour's name has been reported to derive from a local street gang, NF14; however, the members say that it is from 2014, the year they launched as a hip hop group.

The group's rivalry with 21District (a group from Parramatta) plays a big role in their lyrics. The rivalry applies to a greater crime and gang war between the Greater West suburbs of Sydney and the Inner West suburbs of Sydney stemming back to the 1990s.{{cite web | last=Faruqi | first=Osman| author-link=Osman Faruqi | title='Who wants war with Sydney's realest?' | website=ABC News | date=12 December 2019 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-13/australian-drill-rappers-onefour-battle-police/11779746 | access-date=16 November 2023}}

Current members{{cite web |url=https://www.gq.com.au/entertainment/music/meetnbsponefournbsp-the-western-sydney-rap-group-taking-over-hip-hop/news-story/338aadb92311ae985f4d243f9cbc970d |title=Meet OneFour: The Western Sydney rap group taking over hip hop |work=GQ Australia |date=5 September 2019 |access-date=3 December 2019 |author=Riley, Christopher |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191203115150/https://www.gq.com.au/entertainment/music/meetnbsponefournbsp-the-western-sydney-rap-group-taking-over-hip-hop/news-story/338aadb92311ae985f4d243f9cbc970d |archive-date=3 December 2019 |url-status=live}}

• J Emz (born Jerome Misa) (2017–present){{cite news |last1=Lockley |first1=Kate |title=OneFour Jemz: Jerome Misa, Rekindle Tautalaga, Alai Ahio, Sione Lausii fight gun charges |url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=DTWEB_WRE170_a_GGL&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailytelegraph.com.au%2Fnewslocal%2Fblacktown-advocate%2Fonefour-jemz-jerome-misa-rekindle-tautalaga-alai-ahio-sione-lausii-fight-gun-charges%2Fnews-story%2F204504f7a52e7476e97539c38253bf8d&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium&v21=HIGH-Segment-2-SCORE#:~:text=Blacktown%20Advocate-,OneFour%20Jemz%3A%20Jerome%20Misa%2C%20Rekindle%20Tautalaga%2C%20Alai%20Ahio%2C,fooling%20around%20with%20replica%20guns. |access-date=2 January 2024 |publisher=Blacktown Advocate (Australia) |date=27 May 2021}}
• Spencer "Spenny" Magalogo (2017–present)
• Salec "Lekks" Su'a (2017–present)
• Dahcell "Celly" Ramos (2017–2018, 2023–present)

Former members

• Pio "YP" Misa (2019–2023){{cite news |last1=Kidd |first1=Jessica |title=OneFour rapper Pio 'YP' Misa and former member Dahcell Ramos jailed over western Sydney pub brawl |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-05/onefour-rapper-jailed-over-violent-brawl-in-rooty-hill/11768448 |access-date=2 January 2024 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=4 December 2019}}

Onefour have been labelled Australia's first drill rappers,{{cite web |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/behind-the-scenes-with-onefour-australias-first-drill-rappers/ |title=Behind the scenes with Onefour Australia's first drill rappers |work=Vice |date=1 August 2019 |access-date=3 December 2019 |author=Fazal, Mahmood |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190807011410/https://www.vice.com/en_au/article/a3x58j/behind-the-scenes-with-onefour-australias-first-drill-rappers/ |archive-date=7 August 2019 |url-status=live}} with a sound heavily derivative of UK drill music, with the group incorporating UK drill's production style.{{Cite web |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/rap-group-onefour-says-national-tour-now-unlikely-to-proceed-points-finger-at-police-20191126-p53e75.html |title=Rap group OneFour says national tour now 'unlikely to proceed', points finger at police |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=26 November 2019 |access-date=3 December 2019 |author1=Moran, Lucy |author2=Cormack, Robert |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191128002338/https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/rap-group-onefour-says-national-tour-now-unlikely-to-proceed-points-finger-at-police-20191126-p53e75.html |archive-date=28 November 2019 |url-status=live}} However, they have a unique sound, which represents a Western Sydney subculture where young men are "lads", "{{Not a typo|earchers}}" or "{{Not a typo|eshays}}". Onefour were the first Islanders in this subculture to rap in an Australian accent.{{cite web|url=https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2020/september/1598882400/mahmood-fazal/trenches-mount-druitt-onefour/ |title=The trenches of Mount Druitt: Onefour |work=The Monthly|date=September 2020 |access-date=6 September 2020 |author=Fazal, Mahmood}}

Their original singles "The Message" and "Spot the Difference" had a UK-inspired production and lyric style (influenced by group Harlem Spartans), but with an Australian accent.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}} "The Message" includes a line that references the stabbing death of Tino Henry, a member of 21 District, as well as other lyrics mentioning retaliation and the use of knives.

However they rarely perform live (8 shows in the 6 years preceding November 2023), which they blame on intervention by police. After their music had started to take off, they were booked as the supporting act for UK rapper Dave in Sydney and Melbourne on his tour of Australia in 2019. However, after the venues were informed about the potential risks of violence with 21 Districts by police, they cancelled the acts. Later in the year, the band announced their first headline tour playing in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, and Auckland. All venues cancelled apart from Auckland, and Spenny was the only member to perform there; YP, Celly, and Lekks were not allowed to leave the country owing to upcoming court appearances, and J Emz was denied entry to New Zealand on arrival because of his criminal history.

In May 2022, The Kid Laroi called them onto the stage, unannounced, in front of a crowd of 20,000 in Sydney – Onefour's first performance in two and a half years. They performed at the 2023 Listen Out festival.

In April 2025, the group announced the forthcoming release of their debut album Look At Me Now for June 2025.{{cite web|url= https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/onefour-debut-album-2025-74838/|title= ONEFOUR Announce Details for Debut Album Look At Me Now|website=Rolling Stone Australia|date=4 April 2025|access-date=4 April 2025}}

The video for their single "In the Beginning" achieved one million views on YouTube in 48 hours,{{cite web |url=https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/news/musicnews/onefour-aussie-drill-imitators-in-the-beginning-single-video/11707522/ |title=Onefour's new banger 'In The Beginning' puts the Aussie posers on notice |publisher=Triple J |date=15 November 2019 |access-date=24 June 2021 |author=Newstead, Al}} and became the group's first single to chart, debuting at number 39 on the ARIA Singles Chart.{{cite web |url=https://www.ariacharts.com.au/news/2019/tones-and-i-holds-off-billie-eilish-to-stay-1/ |title=Tones and I holds off Billie Eilish to stay #1 |publisher=ARIA Charts |date=23 November 2019 |access-date=24 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191210025059/https://www.ariacharts.com.au/news/2019/tones-and-i-holds-off-billie-eilish-to-stay-1/ |archive-date=10 December 2019 |url-status=dead}}

Netflix released a documentary about the group on 27 October 2023, titled ONEFOUR: Against All Odds, written and directed by Gabriel Gasparinatos{{cite web| url=https://purplesneakers.com.au/news/onefour-documentary-netflix/IRqfNTQ3Njk/21-08-23|title=A ONEFOUR Documentary Is Coming To Netflix This Year |website=Purple Sneakers|date=21 August 2023|access-date=16 October 2023}} and produced by Stranger Than Fiction.{{cite web | title=OneFour: Against All Odds | website=Stranger Than Fiction | url=https://www.strangerthanfictionfilms.com.au/film/onefour-against-all-odds/ | access-date=6 May 2024}} The film premiered at SXSW Sydney, where there was an increased police presence, including undercover officers and metal detectors.

{{as of|November 2023}} Onefour has around 730,300 monthly listeners on Spotify, 318,000 subscribers on YouTube, and their music videos have been viewed millions of times. This makes them one of the biggest hip hop groups in the country.{{cite web | last=Bakalla | first=Ilias | title=Rap group ONEFOUR still can't perform without a heavy police presence. Is it safety or censorship? | website=SBS News | date=12 November 2023 | url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/the-feed/article/rap-group-onefour-still-cant-perform-without-a-heavy-police-presence-is-it-safety-or-censorship/k7qua8t8x | access-date=16 November 2023}}

While the group has established themselves as one of the most prominent acts to have come out of Australia, the group has also been plagued by run-ins with the law.

In July 2019, at a time when violent street gangs had been active in western Sydney, Strike Force Raptor, a branch of NSW Police focused on organised crime, heard that some of Onefour's lyrics had the potential to incite acts of violence by these gangs.

Police have admitted to doing "everything in [their] power" to have them stop rapping about outlaw bikie gangs, and so-called "postcode wars" (gang violence associated with different suburbs), and inciting violence. Police have tried to get their music pulled from streaming platforms.{{cite web|url= https://www.smh.com.au/culture/music/decades-after-nwa-fought-off-censorship-australia-has-declared-its-own-war-on-hip-hop-20220714-p5b1k5.html|title= Decades after NWA fought off censorship, Australia has declared its own war on hip-hop |website=Sydney Morning Herald|date= 16 July 2022|access-date= 16 October 2023}} In 2019, Onefour were forced to cancel their first national tour following police pressure on venues.{{Cite web |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-25/one-four-drill-tour-dates-cancelled/11731062|title=Controversial Sydney drill rappers cancel tour dates, accusing police of 'censorship'| author-link= Osman Faruqi |first=Osman|last=Faruqi|date=25 November 2019|website=ABC News|access-date=3 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191127163847/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-25/one-four-drill-tour-dates-cancelled/11731062|archive-date=27 November 2019|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/onefour-is-banned-from-performing-in-sydney-again/|title=OneFour Is Banned From Performing In Sydney, Again|first=Mahmood|last=Fazal|date=6 August 2019|access-date=3 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204073850/https://www.vice.com/en_au/article/zmjbky/onefour-is-banned-from-performing-in-sydney-again|archive-date=4 December 2019|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/tours/music-is-not-a-crime-controversial-rap-groups-tour-cancelled/news-story/01490f16209406c7c05d9689d5687ed3|title=Aussie rappers fume after tour cancelled|date=29 November 2019|website=NewsComAu|access-date=3 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191203115129/https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/tours/music-is-not-a-crime-controversial-rap-groups-tour-cancelled/news-story/01490f16209406c7c05d9689d5687ed3|archive-date=3 December 2019|url-status=live}}

In December 2019, three members of the rap group – YP (Pio Misa), Lekks (Salec Su'a), Celly (Dahcell Ramos) – were jailed over several charges including reckless grievous bodily harm after a violent interaction at the Carousel Inn in Rooty Hill in July 2018. Justice James Bennett, who delivered the sentences, said that the fight was the result of an escalation of an argument which included "racial comments".

Misa (YP) was sentenced to four years in prison with a two-year non-parole period; he was released in December 2021.{{Cite web|url=https://www.news.com.au/national/crime/a-onefour-rapper-has-celebrated-his-release-from-jail-with-a-champagne-tower-and-new-chain/news-story/af0e00a409a6b011588053a64bbea8bc|title=A OneFour rapper has celebrated his release from jail with a champagne tower and new chain|first=Mitchell|last=Van Homrigh|date=6 December 2021|website=News.com.au|access-date=19 December 2021}}

Su'a (Lekks) was sentenced to four-and-a-half years' jail with a non-parole period of two years and three months, eligible for parole in December 2021. He was deported to New Zealand in January 2023, and appeared at a show in Tauranga with Spenny on 3 January 2023.{{Cite web |title=ONEFOUR on Instagram: "THANK YOU Tauranga💥🙏🏽 1/2 done✅ Nelson ya up next💨" |url=https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cm8Pvcyp1ZB/ |access-date=2023-01-03 |website=Instagram |language=en}}

Ramos (Celly) was sentenced to ten years' jail with a non-parole period of six, for having hit a man in the head with a hammer repeatedly. He was originally eligible for parole in December 2024.{{Cite web| url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-05/onefour-rapper-jailed-over-violent-brawl-in-rooty-hill/11768448|title=Sydney rapper jailed for smashing chair leg over man's head in violent pub brawl |last=Kidd |first=Jessica |date=2019-12-05 |website=ABC News |language=en-AU| access-date=2019-12-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191205112229/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-05/onefour-rapper-jailed-over-violent-brawl-in-rooty-hill/11768448|archive-date=5 December 2019|url-status=live}} However, after appealing his charges, his sentence was reduced to eight years' jail with a non-parole period of four years and nine months, after the appeal judge heard that he was remorseful, and had rehabilitated. He had had a tough childhood which had led to substance abuse as well as ongoing depression. He was released on 7 June 2023.{{Cite web |date=2021-03-31 |title=Rapper's horror hammer attack on CCTV |url=https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/onefour-rapper-dahcell-celly-ramos-has-prison-sentence-quashed-over-pub-attack-c-2482428 |access-date=2023-01-03 |website=PerthNow |language=en}}

In 2022, OneFour distanced itself from the NF14 gang. While police remain concerned about their use of referencing violence in their lyrics, with Detective Inspector Weinstein saying "It is pretty well entrenched in drill music that unless you’ve done that crime or you are in that gang, you cannot sing about that actual activity", they say that their lyrics are honest and they are just talking about their lives, not inciting violence. Professor Jioji Ravulo, chair of social work and policy studies at the University of Sydney, whose research concentrates on young people in the criminal justice system, says that "music is therapeutic for disenfranchised young people" and does not in itself provoke crime.

On 11 January 2024, police raided the houses of two men, arresting 26-year-old Brandon Maseuli and 20-year-old Yousef Rima over an alleged plot to kill YP, Celly14, Spenny and J Emz for "financial reward". One man was charged with 20 offences and the other man with five, both including conspiracy to murder. Onefour had no knowledge of the threat to them.{{cite web | last=Harris | first=Lia | title=Two men charged over alleged murder plot against Western Sydney drill rap group ONEFOUR members | website=ABC News | date=11 January 2024 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-11/nsw-sydney-onefour-alleged-murder-plot-foiled/103308862 | access-date=11 January 2024}}

Notes

{{Notelist-ua}}

The APRA Awards are several award ceremonies run in Australia by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) to recognise composing and song-writing skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually.

{{Awards table}}

! {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}}

|-

! scope="row"| 2021

| "In the Beginning"

| Most Performed Hip Hop / Rap Work

| {{nom}}

| {{cite web |url=https://www.apraamcos.com.au/about/supporting-the-industry/awards/apra-music-awards-2021#_127439 |title=Nominees announced for the 2021 APRA Music Awards |publisher=APRA AMCOS |date= |access-date=31 March 2021}}

|-

! scope="row"| 2022

| "My City" (with The Kid LAROI)

| Most Performed Hip Hop / Rap Work

| {{nom}}

| {{cite web|url=https://theindustryobserver.thebrag.com/nominees-revealed-for-2022-apra-music-awards/|title=Nominees Revealed for 2022 APRA Music Awards|website=The Industry Observer|date=7 April 2022|access-date=9 April 2022}}

|-

! scope="row" rowspan="1"| 2024

| rowspan="1"| "Comma's" (featuring CG)

| Most Performed Hip Hop/Rap Work

| {{won}}

| {{cite web|url=https://mumbrella.com.au/2024-apra-music-awards-nominees-announced-paul-kelly-troye-sivan-tex-perkins-and-more-821962|title= 2024 APRA Music Awards nominees announced: Paul Kelly, Troye Sivan, Tex Perkins, and more|website=Mumbrella|date=4 April 2024|access-date=10 April 2024}}{{Cite web|url=https://themusic.com.au/industry/apra-music-awards-2024-troye-sivan-sia-the-teskey-brothers-among-biggest-winners/FzulCwoNDA8/01-05-24|title= APRA Music Awards 2024: Troye Sivan, Sia & The Teskey Brothers Among Biggest Winners|website=The Music|date=1 May 2024|access-date=2 May 2024}}

|-

|}

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual award ceremony event celebrating the Australian music industry.

{{Awards table}}

! {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}}

|-

| 2023

| "Comma's" (featuring CG)

| Best Hip Hop/Rap Release

| {{nominated}}

| {{cite web|url=https://musicfeeds.com.au/news/nominees-announced-for-2023-aria-awards/|title= Nominees Announced for 2023 ARIA Awards|website=Music Feeds|date=21 September 2023|access-date=23 September 2023}}

|-

| 2024

| "Natural Habitat"

| Best Hip Hop/Rap Release

| {{nom}}

| {{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-26/aria-awards-2024-nominations-royel-otis-kylie-minogue-dom-dolla/104398174|title= ARIA Awards 2024 nominations — everything you need to know|website=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=26 September 2024|access-date=29 September 2024}}

|-

{{end}}

The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J. They commenced in 2005. Onefour have received one nomination.{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/news/musicnews/j-awards-2020-announcement/12831878/|title=Here are your nominees for the 2020 J Awards!|work=Triple J|date=2 November 2020|access-date=3 November 2020}}

{{Awards table}}

! {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}}

|-

! scope="row"| 2020

| "Welcome to Prison"

| Australian Video of the Year

| {{Nominated}}

| {{cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/en_au/news/music/2020-j-awards-winners-2820006/ |title=Lime Cordiale take home Australian Album of the Year at the 2020 J Awards |work=NME Australia |date=19 November 2020 |access-date=19 November 2020 |author=Triscari, Caleb}}

|}

{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:2014 establishments in Australia

Category:Australian hip-hop groups

Category:Australian people of Samoan descent

Category:Criminals from Sydney

Category:Drill musicians

Category:Mount Druitt

Category:Musical groups established in 2014

Category:Musical groups from Sydney

Category:Samoan musicians

Category:Australian Latter Day Saints

Category:APRA Award winners