Scandal-hit Malaysian rapper Namewee releases Lunar New Year single as legal cases loom
Namewee is still helping police in an investigation over the death of a Taiwanese influencer and faces a drug possession charge
Released on Friday, the song “Type C Malaysia” is Namewee’s most high-profile project since he faced a series of police investigations and court proceedings last year.
The music video attracted more than 2.5 million views in its first few days of release online and was produced in collaboration with Malaysian ride-hailing firm GV Rides, according to Malay Mail.
Framed as a festive celebration of Malaysian Chinese identity, the song brings together veteran performers and lyricists representing six commonly spoken Chinese dialects – Cantonese, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainanese, Foochow and Teochew – in what Namewee described as an attempt to spotlight languages that he said were fading from daily use.
“Many of these languages are gradually disappearing, and I hope to showcase them in my own way through this song,” he wrote in the video’s description.
He added that the project was meant to show how Lunar New Year celebrations in Malaysia differed from the snowbound imagery more commonly associated with the festival elsewhere, portraying what he called an equatorial version shaped by local culture.