A rapper who was previously known for promoting the so-called “postcode wars” in Sydney has tearfully apologized for how his violent lifestyle and lyrics influenced impressionable youth.
Pio Misa, better known as “YP” – the name he performed under in the rap group OneFour, based in Mt Druitt, in Sydney’s western suburbs – realized how far he had fallen into the life. while sitting in a prison cell.
Misa, 24, told Channel Nine he was locked up in NSW’s notorious maximum security prison near Goulburn, southwest of Sydney, when he saw a report that police had foiled a plot to assassinate him.
Rap group OneFour (pictured) was based in the western Sydney suburb of Mt Druitt and shot to sudden fame in 2019 with their hit song The Message.
“I wasn’t surprised, I guess,” he said, calling it a “big wake-up call.”
“I knew people wanted my life, and rightly so. I have hurt some people and I hope that in due time they can forgive me.
As he neared the end of his two years in prison for assault, Misa reconsidered the direction his life had taken and began returning to the Christian faith in which he was raised.
“Discovering this new journey, I felt like my life had just begun,” he said.
“Finding this peace and happiness in God and with my savior Jesus Christ, I want to share it with as many people as possible.”
Miso now wants to become a priest but is haunted by his past life.
“There is this feeling of guilt, knowing that I influenced some of the younger generation to do things like that,” he said through tears.
“I’m not proud of the music I’ve made in the past.
“If you believe in something, you have to stand up for your beliefs. You should defend your family.
“Protect those you care about. But in the right way.
“If there is a way to resolve issues without violence, we absolutely must take that approach.”
Miso (pictured, center right) began mentoring young people at a gym in Sydney’s western suburbs.
To break away from his old life, Miso studies to become a priest in his family church and also mentors young people in a gymnasium. Western Sydney with his uncle, Lawrence Tauasa.
“He trains with me five days a week,” Mr. Tausas said.
“I only give him Sundays…and Thursdays for Bible study.
Misa and OneFour suddenly rose to fame in 2019 with their hit song The Message.
It has been viewed millions of times on YouTube, but police said the lyrics encouraged violence by evoking the postcode war, where gangs preyed on people in neighboring suburbs.
The post referenced the stabbing death of Tino Henry during a “postcode war” brawl in 2018.
The song said: “Retaliation is a must, there may be no ifs or buts/I got friends watching 10/You watched yours get put in a box (put in a box ).’
Misa has been jailed twice for assault.
In 2023, he was sentenced to seven months in prison, including four months without parole, for being involved in a street fight in which he beat Troy Camplin in the northwest Sydney suburb of South Windsor .
The members of OneFour are pictured at the premiere of their Netflix documentary. Spenny, left, Celly, center and J Emz, right. Misa was not at the launch because he was in prison on remand following the wild brawl in the north-west Sydney suburb of South Windsor in September.
Mr Camplin was knocked to the ground and hit his head, suffering a 2cm cut to the back of his head which caused blood to gush onto his neck and clothing.
Misa and the other members of OneFour Salec ‘Lekks’ Sua and Dahcell ‘Celly’ Ramos were all jailed over a violent attack on two men at a Rooty Hill slots hall in July 2018.
During this attack, Misa ripped a chair leg out from under her clothes and hit one of the men three times, including twice on the head.
He was sentenced to four years in prison.
CCTV footage of the brawl featured in the Netflix documentary OneFour: Against All Odds which covered the band’s rise to fame and their struggles to be allowed to perform live shows.
In the documentary, OneFour received rave treatment, praised by hip hop stars like Skepta and The Kid Laroi.