use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) -->
, death_place =
, death_cause =
, body_discovered =
, resting_place =
, resting_place_coordinates =
, burial_place =
, burial_coordinates =
, monuments =
, nationality =
Malaysian
Malaysian may refer to:
* Something from or related to Malaysia, a country in Southeast Asia
* Malaysian Malay, a dialect of Malay language spoken mainly in Malaysia
* Malaysian people, people who are identified with the country of Malaysia regard ...
, other_names =
, citizenship =
, education =
, alma_mater =
Ming Chuan University
Ming Chuan University (MCU; ) is a private university in Shilin District, Taipei, Taiwan, accredited in the United States of America and by AACSB. Ming Chuan University was ranked in the 451-500 range in QS Top Asia Universities Ranking 202 ...
, occupation = Rapper, singer, songwriter, composer, filmmaker, actor
, years_active = 2007–present
, era =
, employer =
, organization =
, agent =
, known_for =
, notable_works =
, style =
, net_worth =
, height = 169cm
, television =
, criminal_charge =
, criminal_penalty =
, criminal_status =
, spouse =
, partner = Sarah (2010–present)
, children =
, parents =
, mother = Kwang Fang
, father = Wee Ann Hee
, relatives =
, family =
, callsign =
, awards =
, website =
, module =
, module2 =
, module3 =
, module4 =
, module5 =
, module6 =
, signature =
, signature_size =
, signature_alt =
, footnotes =
Wee Meng Chee (; born 6 May 1983), widely known by his
stage name
A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...
Namewee (), is a Taiwan-based
Malaysian
Malaysian may refer to:
* Something from or related to Malaysia, a country in Southeast Asia
* Malaysian Malay, a dialect of Malay language spoken mainly in Malaysia
* Malaysian people, people who are identified with the country of Malaysia regard ...
hip hop recording artist, composer, filmmaker and actor. His
stage name
A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...
is a bilingual pun on his first name, the
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
term for ''name'' ().
Wee gained popularity after releasing a controversial song titled "Negarakuku", a remake of the national anthem of Malaysia, "
Negaraku
"" () is the national anthem of Malaysia. It was adopted as the national anthem at the time of the Federation of Malaya's independence from the United Kingdom in 1957. The tune was originally used as the regional anthem of the state of Pera ...
". The word ''kuku'' resembles the word for 'penis' in
Hokkien
The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages in ...
. In the weeks following the song's release, it drew criticism from Malaysian society. Despite the controversy surrounding "Negarakuku", Wee released his first, self-titled
EP, ''Namewee'' (Chinese: 明志), in Malaysia on 3 September 2007.
The album was completed in May and does not contain "Negarakuku".
In early 2010, he released his first film titled ''Nasi Lemak 2.0''. Subsequently, he released ''Hantu Gangster'' and ''Kara King'', which were released in 2012 and 2013 respectively. He also started a talk show series on YouTube, ''Namewee Tokok'', in September 2012. He was nominated for the Best Male Vocal Mandarin award at the
Golden Melody Award
The Golden Melody Awards (), commonly abbreviated as GMA, is an honor awarded by Taiwan's Ministry of Culture to recognize outstanding achievement in the Mandarin, Taiwanese Hokkien, Hakka, and Formosan-languages popular and traditional music i ...
in 2016 and 2017. In August 2016, he was arrested by police for filming a music video, featuring performers dressed as religious leaders going about a church, a mosque and a Chinese temple, which allegedly insulted the dignity of
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
.
Namewee is a controversial figure in Malaysian Chinese music. He first gained mainstream popularity with his song "You're Not Red" (Chinese: 你不紅). In subsequent years, several other songs also gained global attention, such as "Thai Love Song" (Chinese: 泰國情哥), "High Pitch" (Chinese: 飆高音) "Stranger In The North" (Chinese: 漂向北方) and "Tokyo Bon 2020" (Japanese: 東京盆踊り2020). Currently, over 125 of his tracks (including those which have been removed from his YouTube channel) have over 1 million views.
Wee has since been banned in Mainland China as a result of the song and music video "
Fragile
Fragile or The Fragile may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Fragile'' (film), a 2005 film by Jaume Balagueró
* "Fragile" (''Smallville''), a television episode
Literature
* ''Fragile'' (manga), a 2016 Japanese series by Bin Kusamizu and Sab ...
" (Chinese:玻璃心), a collaboration with Taiwan-based Australian singer
Kimberley Chen
Kimberley Chen Fang-yu (born 23 May 1994) is an Australian singer, actress and model based in Taiwan.
In 2009, she landed her first hit with the love ballad "愛你" (Aini, "Love You"). In 2012, she became a professional singer in Taiwan, sin ...
which went viral in October 2021.
Early life
Born and raised up in the town of
Muar, Johor, Malaysia, Wee was educated in SRJK Chung Hwa 1B and Chung Hwa High School.
While in secondary school, he wrote his first 400 songs. Around the same time, Wee and a few good friends formed a band named Aunt Band (Chinese:大娘乐队) and won several competitions. He had also released several songs, along with complementary music videos on YouTube, which include ''Muar's Mandarin'' () and ''Kawanku'' (
Malay
Malay may refer to:
Languages
* Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore
** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century
** Indonesi ...
: ''My friends''), the latter sparking controversy being mistook by many as a song targeting
Malaysian Chinese
Malaysian Chinese (; Malay: ''Orang Cina Malaysia''), alternatively Chinese Malaysians, are Malaysian citizens of Han Chinese descent. They form the second largest ethnic group after the Malay majority constituting 22.4% of the Malaysian po ...
,
Malays and
Singaporeans
Singaporeans, or the Singaporean people, refers to citizens or people who identify with the sovereign island city-state of Singapore. Singapore is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-lingual country. Singaporeans of Chinese, Malay, Indi ...
.
He majored in
Mass communication
Mass communication is the process of imparting and exchanging information through mass media to large segments of the population. It is usually understood for relating to various forms of media, as its technologies are used for the dissemination o ...
as an undergraduate at
Ming Chuan University
Ming Chuan University (MCU; ) is a private university in Shilin District, Taipei, Taiwan, accredited in the United States of America and by AACSB. Ming Chuan University was ranked in the 451-500 range in QS Top Asia Universities Ranking 202 ...
in
Taoyuan,
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
.
Other notable works
A small controversy erupted when a three-part video ''Teacher Hew's ABC Time'' (Chinese: ''邱老師 ABC 時間''), directed by Wee was released. In the video, a close friend of Wee, known as teacher Hew, introduces the English alphabet from an adult-oriented perspective. It soon became notorious from its heavy use of profanity as well as orgasm sounds, and the board of directors of Chung Hwa High School decided to sue Wee, as the video was filmed in the school compound, but the lawsuit was later dropped.
In July 2009, Namewee composed the theme and ending songs for the latest Singaporean film '
Where Got Ghost?
''Where Got Ghost?'' () is a Singaporean omnibus comedy horror film directed by Jack Neo and Boris Boo. This film is Neo's first attempt with horror flicks.
Plot
The film is made up of three omnibus horror tales laced with Singaporean humour. ...
' which was released on 13 August 2009.
He acted as the principal cast in "Potong Saga" and as the supporting cast in "Meter".
Namewee also made a video clip in the late of October 2009, titled ''Namewee fuck TNB''. In the video, Namewee's house and
Muar suffer a blackout at night, but the local TNB (
Tenaga Nasional Berhad
Tenaga Nasional Berhad (, abbreviated as TNB; TENAGA, ), also known as Tenaga Nasional or simply Tenaga, is the Malaysian multinational electricity company and is the only electric utility company in Peninsular Malaysia and also the largest p ...
) branch office remains lit, while his brother is sitting for the examinations the following day, so Wee goes to TNB to look for answers, but the ensuing quarrel leads the security guards to escort him out of the facility. After that, Wee scolds TNB and tells them to 'go back to sleep'. The ending song is dedicated to attacking TNB, parodically insulting 'TNB' ('Tenaga Nasional Berhad') as "Tiu Nia Bu", foul language in Hokkien.
In May 2010, Wee made a music video ''Handicap Goal'', featuring himself and his friends, including teacher Hew, to celebrate the 2010 FIFA World Cup by playing
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
with women.
On 26 August 2010, Wee made a music video titled ''Nah! 2010'' posting on YouTube criticising a school principal in
Kulai
)
, image_skyline = File:Building mpku.jpg
, pushpin_map = Malaysia
, coordinates =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_type1 = State
, subdivision_name = Malaysia
, subdivision_name1 ...
, who was reported to have made racist remarks during a school assembly on 12 August 2010. The clip contained obscene language condemning the school principal and the Education Ministry. However, Wee was asked to give a statement in Kuala Lumpur police station and also Cyberjaya Investigation Unit for two times later.
In September 2010, he published another video ''I Am Who I Am'' (Chinese: ''我還是我''), depicting his past experiences and determination to pursue his dream with no return despite having obstacles.
In October 2010, Namewee was officially invited to attend the world-famous
Busan International Film Festival
The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF, previously Pusan International Film Festival, PIFF), held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan (''also'' Pusan), South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The first festi ...
in South Korea.
Wee released his first film ''
Nasi Lemak 2.0''—which he starred in and directed—in September 2011. The movie gained major success in Malaysia, grossing over RM7 million.
In September 2011, a
public service announcement
A public service announcement (PSA) is a message in the public interest disseminated by the media without charge to raise public awareness and change behavior. In the UK, they are generally called a public information film (PIF); in Hong Kong, ...
video titled ''Undilah'', encouraging Malaysian citizens to vote, was released by Pete Teo. Namewee composed part of the music and rap lyrics as well as appearing in the video, featuring various other local celebrities and politicians.
He starred in ''
Petaling Street Warriors
''Petaling Street Warriors'' () is a film co-directed by James Lee Thim Heng and Sampson Yuen Choi-Hin through Malaysian production company, Juita Entertainment, a subsidiary of Juita Viden. Jointly presented by Juita Viden and Golden Screen Ci ...
'', which was released in December 2011.
After the success of ''Nasi Lemak 2.0'' and ''Petaling Street Warriors'', Namewee started off with his another directorial work, ''
Hantu Gangster
''Hantu Gangster'' is a 2012 Malaysian horror comedy film directed by Namewee. The film stars Namewee, Amber Chia, Farid Kamil, Diana Danielle, Dato Jalaluddin Hassan, David Arumugam
Dato’ Thiagarajan K.R. Arumugam (born 3 May 1950), k ...
''. The film was filmed in
Klang and was released on 9 August 2012.
Namewee uploaded a video about
Lynas
Lynas Rare Earths, Ltd. is an Australian rare-earths mining company, listed on the Australian Securities Exchange as a S&P/ASX 200 company. It has two major operations: a mining and concentration plant at Mount Weld, Western Australia, ...
, and talked about Australian and Kangaroo in the video, on 28 February 2012.
On 25 September 2012, he officially launched an online talk show entitled ''Namewee Tokok'', hoping through this program, the Malaysian could have a different perspective on viewing various issues and news in Malaysia as the mass media of the country was consolidated by the government.
In 2014, Namewee established
RED People, a group of Internet personnel, and was also involved in composing
Joyce Chu
Joyce Chu (; born 7 March 1997; nicknamed 'Si Ye Cao' (), literally "four-leaf clover") is a Malaysian singer-songwriter and actress. She is best known for her viral songs "Malaysia Chabor" and "I Miss You", whose catchy melodies became interne ...
's song ''Malaysia Chabor''.
On 22 April 2017, Namewee uploaded a song on YouTube named "18X PAPAPA" (Chinese: 18X禁歌啪啪啪), reaching more than 8 million views in 2 months and becoming the 2nd most popular song to the group of 7–12 years old students according to research. Namewee's fans commented that although the song was only for 18+, they enjoyed it and kept replaying the song.
To remember the 10th anniversary on 20 May 2017 since he started uploading his songs on YouTube, Namewee released a music video titled ''Muar Mandarin 2017 Official MV'' (Chinese: 麻坡的華語10週年紀念版), featuring various places including the Wetex, 8th avenue, etc., in his birthplace
Muar, a city in Johor, Malaysia. It was an instant hit, reaching more than one million views on YouTube in one month.
In July 2020, Namewee debuted a music video of his song "Five Hundred" (五百), which is a rock song made in the style of and a tribute to Taiwanese
Wu Bai
Wu Chun-lin (; born 14 January 1968), better known by his stage name Wu Bai (), is a Taiwanese rock singer, songwriter and actor. He formed the band Wu Bai & China Blue with Dean Zavolta (drums), Yu Ta-hao (keyboards) and Chu Chien-hui (bass gu ...
(伍佰) and his band China Blue. While Wu Bai does not appear in the video, a group of impersonators portray him and the band China Blue.
In October 2021, Namewee's "
Fragile
Fragile or The Fragile may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Fragile'' (film), a 2005 film by Jaume Balagueró
* "Fragile" (''Smallville''), a television episode
Literature
* ''Fragile'' (manga), a 2016 Japanese series by Bin Kusamizu and Sab ...
" (Chinese:玻璃心), collaborated with Taiwan-based Australian singer
Kimberley Chen
Kimberley Chen Fang-yu (born 23 May 1994) is an Australian singer, actress and model based in Taiwan.
In 2009, she landed her first hit with the love ballad "愛你" (Aini, "Love You"). In 2012, she became a professional singer in Taiwan, sin ...
, garnered over 10 million YouTube views in six days since upload. The singers were banned from Mainland China as a result of the song.
Collaboration with other artists
Namewee featured one of Asia's top superstars
Wang Leehom
Wang Leehom (; born May 17, 1976), sometimes credited as Leehom Wang, is an American singer-songwriter, actor, producer, and film director. Formally trained at Eastman School of Music, Williams College and Berklee College of Music, his music ...
in a song titled "Stranger In The North" (Chinese: 漂向北方), which was released on YouTube on 4 March 2017. As of 30 September 2018, the video has garnered more than 135 million views, the highest that Wee has ever achieved in producing and composing the song. It describes the life of migrant workers in Beijing, and is also a reflection of his personal journey in making a name for himself in Taiwan when he started out.
On 21 October 2017, he published another music video with the same title ''Stranger in The North'', a KTV version featuring
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
singer-songwriter and actress
G.E.M.
Gloria Tang Sze-wing (born 16 August 1991), professionally known as G.E.M. (backronym of Get Everybody Moving) or Tang Tsz-kei (), is a Hong Kong singer-songwriter originally from Shanghai, China. She made her debut in the Hong Kong music in ...
It has also received widespread popularity and amassed over 25 million views by end of September 2018.
Wee also featured Japanese actress and singer Meu Ninomiya (Japanese: 二宮芽生) in a song titled "Tokyo Bon 2020" (Japanese: 東京盆踊り2020), which was released on YouTube on 19 November 2017 and has garnered more than 30 million views in less than a year. Written and composed by Namewee in collaboration with Cool Japan TV, the video combines the elements of traditional Japanese instruments,
Okinawa music style and
Bon dance
or just is fusion of the ancient Japanese belief in ancestral spirits and a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist–Confucian custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people retu ...
with foreign music, describing a clueless Asian tourist wandering on the streets of Tokyo and his amusing interaction with a Japanese high school girl who speaks
Japanglish.
On 17 March 2018, he published another music video with the title ''Rain In Ho Chi Minh'' featuring
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
singer-songwriter Hồ Quang Hiếu.
In collaboration with the Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government, Wee produced a video titled ''Fun Taipei Funny Ads'' on 25 August 2018, introducing viewers to Taipei travels and featuring
Amoi-Amoi, a
girl group
A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of who ...
composed of ET Wang from Taiwan, and May Ng, Stella Chen and Hong ShaoQi from Malaysia.
On 23 January 2020, he released a single and music video titled ''China Reggaeton'' featuring Hong Kong actor
Anthony Wong.
Detention and arrest
On 2 August 2016, it was reported that
Penang
Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...
police were planning to arrest him as soon as he returned from a trip abroad over a potential charge stemmed from his controversial music video ''Oh my God'' that allegedly insulted Islam. Prior to his detention, Namewee published a video on YouTube on 21 August 2016 titled ''Surrender'', depicting himself stripping naked (with his genitals censored) to show that he has no visible or existing injuries prior to his detention.
As planned, police detained him upon his arrival at
Kuala Lumpur International Airport
Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is Malaysia's main international airport. It is located in the Sepang District of Selangor, approximately south of Kuala Lumpur and serves the city's greater conurbation.
KLIA is the largest and b ...
on 21 August 2016 and remanded him in the following day after the magistrates' court granted a remand order for four days to investigate the case under Section 295 of the Penal Code for injuring or defiling a place of worship with intent to insult the religion. On 25 August 2016, Namewee was freed on bail after the magistrates' court had refused to extend his arrest in view of his suffering from stomach ulcers.
On 22 February 2018, Namewee was detained by police for a day to facilitate investigations on his music video ''Like a Dog'', in which he and other individuals dance allegedly indecently in front of
Perdana Putra
The Perdana Putra is a building in Putrajaya, Malaysia which houses the office complex of the Prime Minister of Malaysia. Located on the main hill in Putrajaya, it has become synonymous with the executive branch of the Malaysian federal gover ...
, the office complex of the Prime Minister of
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
. Namewee released a video refuting charges made against him, principally that the dance video had been staged in front of a mosque.
On 12 March 2021, Namewee, who at that point had resided in Taipei for seven months, released a video saying he intended to return to Malaysia and predicted that he would be detained there, over a complaint stemming from racial tensions being depicted in his film ''Babi.'' On 15 March 2021, the Malay Mail reported that Namewee had been detained for two hours after passing immigration at
Kuala Lumpur International Airport
Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is Malaysia's main international airport. It is located in the Sepang District of Selangor, approximately south of Kuala Lumpur and serves the city's greater conurbation.
KLIA is the largest and b ...
, and is due to surrender himself to police custody at their Bukit Aman headquarters after a seven-day quarantine.
April 2022 hacking incident
In early April 2022, the
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
channel which Namewee had maintained for some 13 years, and which had over 3 million subscribers was hacked, with its contents cleared and its title replaced by profanities in Russian language. He was later able to retrieve some of the content.
Discography
Album
Extended Play
Live Recording Album
Filmography
Sources:
Namewee at chinesemov.com
/ref>
Concert Tours
* Namewee 4896 World Tour (2017–2019)
* Our Voices in... (2018–2019)
References
External links
;Database
*
;Official
我的名字叫明志
Wee Meng Chee's blog
*
Namewee website by NameWee Production, Taipei
;''Negarakuku''
Original music video
(reuploaded on Namewee's channel on December 22, 2015)
*''Negarakuku'' on YouTube
with English subtitles
an
with Malay subtitles
7 Edition news snippet
from ntv7 on YouTube, featuring Syed Hamid Albar, Malaysia's Foreign Minister, commenting Wee's matter will not be taken lightly and an apology will not be accepted.
7 Edition news snippet
from ntv7 on YouTube, featuring a statement by Fu Ah Kiow, Malaysia's Deputy Internal Security Minister, on "negative elements" in Wee's song.
See also
* Honorific nicknames in popular music
When describing popular music artists, honorific nicknames are used, most often in the media or by fans, to indicate the significance of an artist, and are often Pantheon (gods), religious, Kinship terminology, familial, or (most frequently) Imp ...
* Music of Malaysia
Music of Malaysia is the generic term for music that has been created in various genres in Malaysia. A great variety of genres in Malaysian music reflects the specific cultural groups within multiethnic Malaysian society: Malay, Chinese, India ...
* Malaysian pop
{{DEFAULTSORT:Namewee
1983 births
Living people
People from Muar
Malaysian people of Chinese descent
Malaysian expatriates in Taiwan
Malaysian male actors
Malaysian film directors
Malay-language film directors
Malaysian screenwriters
Malaysian Hokkien pop singers
Malaysian Mandopop singers
Malaysian male pop singers
Malaysian hip hop singers
Malaysian male singer-songwriters
Malaysian Internet celebrities
Malaysian bloggers
Malaysian YouTubers
Malaysian activists
Video bloggers
Male bloggers
Male YouTubers
Ming Chuan University alumni
21st-century screenwriters