ONEFOUR’s Pio ‘YP’ Misa Plans To ‘Walk Away’ Following Criminal Charges

Embattled ONEFOUR member Pio ‘YP’ Misa reportedly plans to cut ties with the controversial drill group, amid an ongoing stoush with the law.

READ MORE: Why Are NSW Police Silencing ONEFOUR And The Voices Of Australian Rap?

In late September of this year, Misa was arrested for leading a brawl in northwestern Sydney: it was reported he and a female accomplice followed a man home (after that man made derogatory comments to the woman in a supermarket), where the pair violently beat him and his own partner. Misa and his accomplice were charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and destroying or damaging property equal to or less than $2,000 in value. Misa was also hit with a charge of affray.

Misa has been kept behind bars since – he did not apply for bail but it was formally refused nonetheless – and after reportedly pleading guilty to all charges, he was sentenced to seven months imprisonment (with four months non-parole) earlier in December. Accounting for time already served, he’ll be eligible for release from custody in late January.

According to The Daily Telegraph, Misa spent his time in custody reconnecting with Christianity. As a result, it’s said, he plans to leave ONEFOUR because his beliefs no longer align with the image he fostered as a rapper. “You can see from [the psychological] reports he’s matured,” barrister Bryan Royce told the paper. “His Christian beliefs now set him in conflict with some of the messages that are in the lyrics of the band ONEFOUR. He now feels he’s internally in conflict ... [between] growing his music career and his developing Christian beliefs.”

Misa’s wish to sever ties with ONEFOUR was reportedly verified by his mother, with the supposedly reformed artist now wanting “to lead a pro-social life and be involved in church activities”. During his sentencing on December 21, magistrate Leanne Robinson reportedly considered Misa’s reconnection with his faith, which he first explored following another criminal incident in 2018.

Misa served two years in jail for that brawl, which saw him – as well as fellow ONEFOUR members Salec Sua and Dahcell ‘Celly’ Ramos – violently bash three men in a hotel in Rooty Hill. After being released from jail at the start of this year, Sua was deported to New Zealand.

At the time of writing, neither ONEFOUR nor Misa have made a public statement addressing the latter’s future in the group.

Last month, it was announced that ONEFOUR would be supporting The Kid LAROI on his 2024 Australian tour. It follows the release of the Netflix documentary ONEFOUR: Against All Odds, which drew attention from NSW Police when it was screened at SXSW Sydney in October.

Reviewing ONEFOUR’s set at this year’s Listen Out festival in Melbourne (Naarm), this writer opined the group “had a blast onstage, clearly revelling in their fandom’s buoyancy” and “made the most of every second in their 20-minute set, [spitting] every bar with visceral passion as they leapt around the stage”.