Australian rap group OneFour were forced to take the stage with half their crew in New Zealand after two members were jailed and a third denied entry to the country.
Auckland’s The Powerstation music venue was teeming with security and bags were not allowed through the doors for the group’s concert on Thursday night amid fears of possible violence.
Just a day before the concert, rappers Pio ‘YP’ Misa and Dahcell ‘Celly’ Ramos were jailed for four and ten years respectively over a violent attack in a western Sydney pub’s pokie room.
A recorded message played from Misa as the group walked on stage on Thursday.
When the rappers finished their first song the chants of ‘free YP, free YP’ from the crowd began.
Gangster rap group OneFour, who cancelled Australian tour claiming police cracked down on venues, have played in New Zealand minus two members who were jailed earlier this week
With the group three MCs short, the audience was still reportedly whipped into a frenzy by remaining rapper, Spenny, supported by Lekks and another figure who covered his face for the entire show.
The group previously shared an angry rant against law enforcement just hours after Misa and Ramos had their sentences announced at Sydney District Court.
‘It’s war against the feds right now – we tryna get outta the hood. These guys hate seeing us do well and it’s a shame but f**k what anyone thinks,’ they wrote.
The group is understood to consist of four main rappers who go by the nicknames YP, J Emz, Lekks and Spenny – along with friends who feature including Celly.
OneFour cancelled their entire Australian tour after saying police put pressure on venues to cancel due to fears of gang violence.
New South Wales Police have denied the claim but did say they required venues to provide financial assistance for on-duty officers to attend the concerts.
Pio Misa (pictured), a member of the OneFour rap group, was jailed for four years over a brutal attack in Western Sydney’s Rooty Hill last year
A recorded message played from Misa as the group walked on stage on Thursday
‘It’s war against the feds right now – we tryna get outta the hood. These guys hate seeing us do well and it’s a shame but f**k what anyone thinks,’ the group wrote on Instagram as the sentencing was announced
The controversial group participated in a documentary (pictured) filmed by VICE earlier this year
Those associated with the group have proudly boasted of attacking police who try to break up their late-night parties.
In a documentary filmed by VICE earlier this year, the group took filmmakers through one of their main homelands of Mount Druitt in Sydney’s far west.
‘We can’t relate to shooting or something but we can relate to stabbings and punch-ons though,’ one of OneFour’s rappers told filmmakers earlier this year.
In another part of the documentary, one member told of how they would hold what are called OneFour parties in a suburban garage.
‘Everyone from the area would come and it would go off you know,’ a member said.
‘Everyone used to turn on the coppers after the parties were getting shut down – they would just wait for the end and just try and turn on the cops.
‘There were bottles, rocks, everything (thrown at police)’.
OneFour, who have more than 215,000 followers on Instagram, revealed on Wednesday they were no longer allowed to perform in Australia.
‘They won’t let us perform in AUS right now but one day they gon’ beg for it, NZ here we come,’ the group wrote.
Misa and Ramos (photo of the two in court yesterday pictured) were both jailed for four and ten years respectively over the attack in western Sydney’s Rooty Hill last year
Members of the group based in western Sydney (pictured) admitted in the documentary they can ‘relate to stabbings and punch-ons’
That same day, the group said their member J Emz had been denied entry into New Zealand by immigration officials – where they were due to perform the only show of their tour.
OneFour shares its name with a Mount Druitt youth gang but have insisted they are not members themselves, and say the name comes from the year they were established.
The documentary investigating the group’s operations was released in July – a year after Misa and Ramos viciously assaulted Anthony Hayward, Tony Taylor and Shayne Turner at the Carousel Inn in Rooty Hill.
Pio ‘YP’ Misa (left) and Dahcell ‘Celly’ Ramos (right) viciously assaulted three men at the Carousel Inn in Rooty Hill
One of the men was so beaten so severely he was left unconscious on the floor and covered in blood.
Misa had hidden a wooden chair leg inside his clothes and used it to hit Mr Hayward twice in the back of the head, the court heard.
Mr Hayward backed away after the first attack.
‘Misa then followed him into the middle of the brawl and he hit him for a third time with the timber chair leg,’ Judge James Bennett said, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Ramos then struck Mr Taylor repeatedly in the head with a hammer.
‘Ramos pulled out a hammer from inside his jacket and hit the victim Taylor in the head a number of times,’ the judge said.
After the vicious assault the rappers ran from the pub but were arrested later that night.
Misa is to serve a minimum of two years behind bars and Ramos must serve at least six.
Misa (centre) had hidden a wooden chair leg inside his clothes and used it to hit a man inside a pokies room
The rap group (members pictured above) apologised to their fans and said jailed member YP understood that the ‘show must go on’
The rap group took to Instagram to apologise to their fans.
‘Just when we thought we were doing okay, we hit another obstacle,’ they wrote.
‘This tour was solely to celebrate the success of OneFour and also give YP the opportunity to perform one last time.
‘Unfortunately due to the shows being cancelled and bail conditions restricting YP from leaving the country, today he has been sentenced.
‘We know YP would of loved to perform for everyone and he appreciates all the love and support you send him. As an artist he understands that the show must go on regardless.’
The group also revealed that another member of their rap group had been denied entrance to New Zealand, but insisted their Auckland concert would still go on.
The artists perform drill rap, a hardcore version of hip hop that moved from Chicago to the UK, that has come under fire from UK police for inciting violence.
They have developed a cult following online, with singles Shanks and Shivs, The Message and Spot the Difference racking up millions of views on YouTube.