[3][4] 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.
[11] 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] "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.
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.
[2] 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.
[13] Netflix released a documentary about the group on 27 October 2023, titled ONEFOUR: Against All Odds, written and directed by Gabriel Gasparinatos[14] and produced by Stranger Than Fiction.
[15] The film premiered at SXSW Sydney, where there was an increased police presence, including undercover officers and metal detectors.
[2] As of November 2023[update] Onefour has around 730,300 monthly listeners on Spotify, 318,000 subscribers on YouTube, and their music videos have been viewed millions of times.
[17][18][19][11] 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.
[21] 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.
[2] 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".