ONEFOUR: Doco was a way to ‘fight against the authorities’
ONEFOUR member Spenny says the group wanted to show the world ‘the Australia they see on TV or in movies isn’t the Australia they’re living in’.
Controversial Western Sydney rap group ONEFOUR say their long-coming Netflix documentary, which follows what they describe as a targeted campaign by NSW Police to stop them performing their songs, felt like the only way to “fight against the authorities”.
The documentary ‘ONEFOUR: Against All Odds’, out on Thursday, follows the meteoric rise of the Pacific Islander-drill group from Mount Druitt. This includes their early life and run-ins with police, the imprisonment of three of its members after a serious assault at Rooty Hill RSL, their global success, and what they say was NSW Police pressuring venues to shut down their sold out national tour in 2019.
Former Strike Force Raptor boss Deb Wallace told filmmakers police “had an obligation to tell the venues of the potential risk”, which was their belief ONEFOUR’s performances and rap lyrics could incite violence. But group member Spencer “Spenny” Magalogo said it felt like police didn’t want them to “be better”.
The film, about one of Australia’s most successful music exports, isn’t “anti-police”, producer Erin Moy said, and if viewers see it as such, it’s probably a reflection on their wider opinions on the police.
It gives both Detective Superintendent Wallace and head of the State Crime Command Jason Weinstein their right of reply, she said.
Detective Chief Superintendent Weinstein said he makes “no apologies” for employing Raptor’s powers and wanted to “set the record straight – that it wasn’t the police that stopped (the tour). The venue itself determined they wouldn’t allow the concert to go ahead.”
Spenny said he doesn’t think the film painted them as “goody-goody boys” but showed their evolution as professional musicians.
“I feel like the film … wasn’t always on our side. I feel like there’s parts of the film that show us in that sort of light where we have been in trouble in the past,” Spenny told The Australian.
“It just gives people an insight on what we’ve had to go through for … not only the last four years, but what we’ve had to go through for our whole lives. This is something that is so normal to us. And when watching the documentary with other people … (who were) really shocked about it, it opened my eyes and made me realise this isn’t normal,” he said.
The film ends with an iPhone video of an incident eight months ago, where NSW Police stopped ONEFOUR walking out to their new song Commas with boxer Paulo Aokuso at Qudos Bank Arena.
Ms Moy said the team, including filmmaker Gabriel Gasparinatos, wanted to show this was a “live issue”. Those continuing pressures were highlighted in real time, she said, by the large police presence at the documentary premiere at South By Southwest last week.
Spenny said he hoped the documentary was a force for change, just like music had been.
“I guess that was the whole point of why we wanted to do this documentary,” he said.
“Four years ago, when we got our tour banned. We sat down with our manager Ricks (Ricky Simandjuntak), and we felt helpless. There was no other way to fight against the authorities.
“Because what can you do ... You can’t go back and complain to anyone. You just sit there in sorrow. You know, it took four years for us to finally have our voice heard. I hope it does change a lot of things.
“I hope it opens up the eyes of everyone around us and gives us opportunities that we’ve been missing for the last four years. And I hope it shows people around the world that the Australia they see isn’t the Australia we’re living in.”
The Daily Telegraph reported the program had been labelled as insensitive by a veteran victims of crime advocate for not giving voice to the victims of the post code gang wars. There is no suggestions ONEFOUR has ever been involved in any post code incidents.
NSW Police said they would not make any comment on the documentary.
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