The censorship of Western Sydney drill royalty OneFour by the police continues. The group have now been forced to cancel their scheduled Melbourne and Adelaide shows after police expressed “safety concerns.”
This isn’t the first time that OneFour have been forced to cancel a show as a result of police intervention. In August, their scheduled performance with Octavian was “shut down” by NSW police after they alleged that the genre incites gang violence.
“This is the third time the NSW Police have pressured the venue we were due to perform at and it’s getting fkn frustrating,” the band shared at the time, per MusicFeeds. “They want us to get us off the street, yet they won’t give us a chance to. We’ve played three shows with no problems, yet they’re still trying to shut us down.”
As ABC reports, court documents acquired by Background Briefing see police allege that the group are connected to an ongoing turf war between groups in Sydney’s inner west and greater west. The NSW Police force forged Strike Force Imbara to investigate the beef, and to look at how crime may be influenced by “rap culture.” Consequently, Strike Force Imbara has raised concerns about public safety with venues.
OneFour have shared a series of posts addressing the cancellations.
“There’s a bigger issue for us is this continues a pattern of concert cancellations which deny us a platform to perform and single out our fan base,” the band shared on Instagram.
“To be clear there has been no incident at any of our live concerts and why the band would want or allow that to change for our fans does not make any sense.
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“Right now our management are trying to sit down with NSW Police to sort this out. Don’t lash out online or elsewhere as it plays into the hands of those that would vilify us.”
As it stands, the groups remaining shows at Sydney and Perth are yet to be cancelled, though fans are worried that they will meet the same fate. It’s disheartening to see that one of the most exciting, important acts in Australian hip hop history are being consistently shat on by cops, and all we can hope for is this situation to reach a swift resolution.
