Kriti Mehrotra
If there’s one thing absolutely nobody can deny, it’s that Spencer “Spenny” Magalogo of OneFour is a man who has undeniably been through a lot yet is still fighting for his real voice to be heard. Although his stand these days is a lot different than what he witnessed, egged on, or engaged in while growing up in Western Sydney, Australia, because it’s based on everything apart from ego and violence. This much is actually evidenced in Netflix’s ‘ONEFOUR: Against All Odds’ since it does essentially explore his/his drill rap group’s defiance against attempts to censor their art over “safety concerns.”
“I never thought of music as something I would end up taking as a career,” Spenny candidly asserted in this documentary. “[I, alongside Celly, J Emz, Lekka, as well as YP, all] grew up in Mount Druitt… There’s a really big Islander community out there, and we’re Samoan.” He has thus known his fellow band members since they were mere kids attending Mormon Church, unaware the sheer reputation of their area would soon propel them down the wrong path. That’s because, in his own words, there were only three options for them back then: either play football (soccer), land an extensive labor-heavy job within a local factory, or lead a life of pure crime.
“There’s always been drama with, you know, certain areas,” Spenny said, referring to district-based gang rivalries. “I don’t know how it started or all the history behind it. I just guess growing up around it, we got sucked into it.” In other words, the crew was actually associated with such crowds for a significant period and got into trouble, with this youngster often being at the center because the sole way he knew how to resolve an issue was a physical fight. Therefore, it wasn’t until they discovered the Street University Youth Center, offering music programs as well as free studio sessions, that they really found their calling and decided to turn over a new leaf.
Spenny is Now a Proud Writer, Vocalist, and Community Representative
OneFour hence evolved into a legitimate drill rap group, with Spenny in particular finding his passion as a songwriter before gradually climbing out of the mess he’d found himself in. Moreover, the band as a whole distanced itself from the locally infamous NF14 gang in 2022, indicating their intention to lead a straight life while continuing to share their stories through music. But alas, considering their experiences comprise brawl involvements, witnessing violence, plus prison stints, that’s what they rap about, resulting in the authorities having an issue under the belief they’re promoting gang culture.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CpCNA3qpHLK/?hl=en&img_index=1
OneFour admittedly has no such purpose — they’re simply trying to make a living for themselves in a way that not just satiates their need to be creative but is also honest in every sense of the term — that’s why they’re frustrated over the unofficial censorship/ban on them performing live. As for Speeny’s current individual standing, it turns out the New South Wales Police is now investigating his potential involvement in a street brawl, yet he continues to defy even this alleged attempt to hinder his career in the new, only way he knows how. He’s focusing on his job as a vocalist-songwriter in this hip-hop fivesome while also ensuring to actively as well as vocally represent the Australia-based Pacific Islanders in the mainstream media. Spenny wants the world to know Australia is incredibly diverse.
Read More: J Emz: Where is the OneFour Member Now?
