Ride operators at this year’s Sydney Royal Easter Show will be prohibited from playing rap music. The move is part of a joint effort by the show’s organisers and NSW Police, who made the claim that “rapper music” is being used to “lure youth into a life of crime”.
As the ABC reports, NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith said that last year, the Comanchero bikie club “particularly and proactively procured youths through rapper music”. Smith said they “hired a fellow… and through rapper music investment, they procured a significant youth gang problem to carry out violent crime”.
Smith specifically mentioned Mount Druitt drill rap group OneFour, labelling them a “gang” and accusing them of “carrying out serious violent crime” on behalf of the Comancheros. “We’ve got all the evidence we need to demonstrate that rapper music is being used to lure youth into a life of crime,” Smith said. It is unclear what “evidence” Smith is referring to. NME has contacted a representative for OneFour for comment.
The Royal Easter Show begins tomorrow (Thursday, April 6) and runs till Monday, April 17. Murray Wilton, the Royal Easter Show’s general manager, defended the decision. The ABC reported that he denied it was a racist move and then claimed that if one “look[s] at the psychology of music” that it was a “scientific fact” that “the type of music that is played actually predicts somebody’s behaviour”.
Wilton continued: “There will be no music played that is rapper music, or has swearing words through it, or has any offensive language… I don’t think it’s racist. We are determining the type of music and the type of genre that we do and do not want acceptable have used to show and that’s what we’ve been working with the carnival operators.”
The decision has reportedly been made in light of the death of Uati “Pele” Faletolu at last year’s Easter Show. Faletolu, 17, was working as a sideshow employee when he was fatally stabbed in the torso after a brawl broke out near the amusement rides. According to Smith, yesterday’s announcement followed a “comprehensive review” of the incident.
In addition to the rap music ban, 30 Public Safety Orders have been issued to people prohibiting them from attending the Royal Easter Show this year. Another six will be delivered soon.
Australian artists have criticised the ban. Koolism’s Hau Latukefu – formerly host of triple j’s Hip Hop Show, currently hosting Double J’s Sky High program – tweeted: “Banning rap music at a festival? What year we in? 1989? Faaark me dead.” Rapper Urthboy succinctly attributed the ban to “racist cops”.
Banning rap music at a festival? What year we in? 1989? Faaark me dead.
— Hau (@hauiebeast) April 4, 2023
racist cops. could explain it in 10 seconds
— Urthboy (@urthboy) April 4, 2023
NSW Police have long targeted rap and drill music in the state. Last year, then-acting commissioner Jason Weinstein told The Daily Telegraph that police could potentially request streaming services take down songs by local artists that they believed were “being weaponised to basically inflame” gang violence, fuelling “postcode wars”.
OneFour in particular have long faced extreme police pressure, affecting their ability to perform live. In 2019, NSW Police revealed they had successfully “shut down” OneFour concerts. Speaking to the ABC that year, Sergeant Nathan Trueman addressed the group: “I’m going to use everything in my power to make your life miserable, until you stop doing what you’re doing. Every aspect of your life. I’m going to make it uncomfortable for you.”
Last year, OneFour manager Ricky Simandjuntak said police had employed numerous tactics to stop the group from performing live. “Usually, when it comes to shows, they don’t shut us down directly, so they press the venue, threaten to investigate past discrepancies, and put pressure on venues and agents not to do business with OneFour,” Simandjuntak told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“We’ve had cases where they’ve asked festival promoters or venues not to book OneFour. We’re used to it by now; when you’re the first out of the gate, you get made an example of, and the NSW Police are often trying to make an example of OneFour.”