Henry Vaiusu ventures into rap world - as his jailed older brother has sentence appeal knocked back

An aspiring Sydney rapper who sings about assassinations and drive-by shootings is the same man NSW Police believe was involved in killing a young drug dealer back in 2016.

An aspiring Sydney rapper who sings about assassinations and drive-by shootings is the same man NSW Police believe was involved in killing a young drug dealer back in 2016.

Henry Vaiusu, aka “212 H.E.A.T”, is a key suspect in the unsolved murder of Robert Tran at Cabramatta.

But nobody has ever been charged with killing Tran.

The New Zealand-born rapper has two brothers - Peter and Steven - who along with him have regularly been in the sights of NSW Police for their alleged links to guns, drugs and major Comanchero bikie figure Mick Hawi.

Neither Henry nor Steven have ever been charged with drug offences and Henry has never been convicted of a gun offence.

But the most serious allegation of all is Henry Vaiusu being a suspect in killing Tran, with “no less than three police intelligence reports” alleging he was involved in the murder, the NSW District Court heard in 2020.

Henry, Peter and Steven Vaiusu, have been central to multiple police investigations over the years, but now Henry has started a music career as rapper 212 H.E.A.T. Picture: Facebook.

Despite the Vaiusu’s multiple run-ins with police, he has not shied away from singing about crime and violence in his music.

His song “Playing for Keeps” was released on February 28, 2022, and while it only has 8,000 listens proclaims to be “real talk”.

“Bow down or be shot down, talk it up and get shot down … I ride shotgun in that hotty boy, it’s your body boy, when I lean out lights out,” the song says.

“This that real talk, that real walk, that real sh** for the gang sh**, hit a headshot watch it hang b**ch.”

In another section Vaiusu’s track goes on to list things that will get you “knocked” - an underworld phrase for killed.

“Can you believe us Sydney City, hot, hella hot, talk to pigs you get knocked, caught slipping get knocked, you go missing that’s knocked,” the lyrics state.

“Sydney City that’s where I’ll be, playing for keeps.”

Henry Vaiusu, aka rapper 212 HEAT, on set for one of his video clips. Picture: Instagram

Peter Vaiusu’s social media image.

Music videos uploaded to YouTube and Instagram feature large amounts of footage of his brother Peter inside prison.

The two brothers first made headlines when they were arrested in 2018.

For the offences they were charged with following those arrests Henry served two years and four months jail, while Peter was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

It was during an application by Henry and Peter for a permanent stay of those proceedings that Henry’s alleged links to Robert Tran’s death were mentioned.

Robert Tran was shot dead in Cabramatta in July 2016. Source: NSW Police

“No less than three New South Wales police intelligence reports recorded Henry Vaiusu’s involvement in (Robert) Tran’s murder and other public place shootings,” the court heard.

“After the murder of Tran, Henry pointed a sawn off shotgun at another male in relation to a drug dispute and was also suspected … of being involved in a number of home invasions involving drugs and money.”

It is not clear to what extent the intelligence reports alleged Henry was involved and there is no suggestion he, or any of the Vaiusus, were responsible for Mr Tran’s murder.

No charges have been laid and the Homicide Squad’s investigation into his murder is ongoing.

Peter Vaiusu appealed his sentence to the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal but on Thursday his application was knocked back. He will remain behind bars until at least May 30, 2025, when he will become eligible for parole.