Kriti Mehrotra
While it’s true OneFour Member Salec “Lekks” Su’a did not grow up alongside his fellow drill rap, hip-hop bandmates in Mount Druitt, Sydney, Australia, he did meet them at a critical juncture of their life. After all, this New Zealand native was employed at Street University around 2017, when Dahcell “Celly” Ramos, Jerome “J Emz” Misa, his younger brother Pio “YP” Misa, plus Spencer “Spenny” Magalogo joined in the hopes of stepping away from the streets and into music. “He was just like that older bro that helped us out in the studio when we started locking in,” J Emz candidly revealed in ‘ONEFOUR: Against All Odds,’ to which YP added, “He loved his [rap] music.”
“I remember the first time [Lekks] showed me [British collective group] Harlem Spartans,” Moorebank-based Street University Youth Counselor Esky stated in this Netflix original documentary film. “[It] was the drill group he was being influenced by. Lekks goes, ‘This is the future of Australian hip-hop right here,'” which he actually managed to make a reality shortly after as a core part of OneFour. The truth is the way he worked alongside the four individuals mentioned above as well as fit into the kind of narratives they wanted to bring to light was near effortless – and this is how they all ended up deciding to create some magic together in the form of raw, real music.
But alas, with this crew’s alleged association with gangs, their explicit lyrics, plus the members’ separate legal troubles with state police, there was soon a persecution target placed on their backs. It turns out authorities believe the repeated mentions of gun violence, group rivalries, heinous offenses, as well as prison stints in OneFour’s songs essentially incites conflict amongst youngsters and promotes gang culture, which is why they seek to censor or ban them. Yet, of course, since there is freedom of speech and the fivesome simply write on things they’ve experienced in real life, there’s not much officials can do except continue putting pressure on them to cancel live shows or conduct raids at their homes, as indicated in the film.
Lekks is Still a OneFour Member Despite His Deportation
It was in July 2018 when Lekks was arrested with Celly and YP following their involvement in a brawl against two intoxicated men at the Carousel Inn pub in Rooty Hill, West Sydney, Australia. According to reports, they were spewing racist nonsense as well as clear slurs towards this Samoan descendant, driving them all to lose their cool until the duo was actually bleeding.
Lekks was thus convicted of several counts like reckless grievous bodily harm in 2019, for which he received 4½ years in prison without parole for 2¼ years. In the end, though, he was denied normal release in favor of deportation in late 2021 or early 2022, meaning he has had no choice but to have since settled in his native New Zealand. It’s been a difficult switch, yet he’s seemingly getting used to it. And even with all this, this vocalist-songwriter has managed to keep his face identity hidden.
Nevertheless, despite the evident distance between Lekks and his fellow bandmates, he still remains an active part of OneFour. They’re actually managing this by ostensibly developing new music in a separate country altogether, hoping to cross all bounds and even overcome their hindrances in Australia with their upcoming album. Honestly, it appears as if there’s nothing and no one they’ll let come between them and their dream of now leading a legitimate, straight life as pure rap artists, which is all that matters in the long run.
Read More: Spenny: Where is the OneFour Member Now?
