The group, whose original lineup included J Emz, Celly, YP, Spenny, and Lekks, has experienced a chaotic rise over the last six years. A sharp binary characterises their story: they’ve achieved unprecedented success for an Australian rap group, and their music has transcended AUNZ borders. However, they’ve also encountered serious legal troubles. Most notably, members Celly, Lekks, and YP faced severe legal repercussions for a violent assault committed in 2019.
ONEFOUR’s legal troubles over the years have resulted in frequent lineup changes, and YP also formally left the group in February this year after becoming an ordained priest. Regarding where the group is currently, it’s J Emz, Lekks, and Spenny holding the group down—and they’re adamant the group’s story is far from over. On May 20, ONEFOUR released their highly-anticipated track “Natural Habitat”—which they’ve been teasing fans with for over a year—featuring verses from Lekks, Spenny, and J Emz. The group has also just announced a tour.
Complex Australia sat down with J Emz, who spoke on behalf of the group, to talk about ONEFOUR’s legacy, their upcoming headlining show at RISING, the Against All Odds documentary, and their upcoming tour.
The Netflix doc feels like a good starting point—massive congrats. How did it feel putting it out into the world?
It was a relief to get it out. It was a good feeling to be able to tell our side of the story and that. But yeah, after the release, we went straight back to the music. We’re just locked in with the studio.
