What's In A Name?

Who knew controversial Malaysian rapper NAMEWEE, who will hold his first-ever Singapore concert in February, had that much of a thing for Jack Neo’s Comedy Night?

- Jonathan Fam

For someone who doesn’t believe in censoring himself, it’s strange that Malaysian rapper Namewee is wearing a pair of sunglasses that resemble censor bars. It’s the first thought that crosses our mind when we meet the beanie-loving 34-year-old, whose real name is Wee Meng Chee (‘Meng Chee’ and ‘name’ are like homonyms in Mandarin), when he was in town recently to promote the Singapore stop of his 4896 concert tour on February 3. [FYI: ‘4896’ is a play on a Hokkien term that means ‘very strong and powerful’.]

The multi-hyphenate, who got his start on YouTube a decade ago (he now has 1.2mil subscribers), is not just one of Malaysia’s most famous stars but also one of its most controversial. His satirical lyrics and videos take aim at hot button topics like Malaysian politics and racism and they’ve made him the voice of a (disgruntled) generation and also a persona non grata in certain circles.

Namewee first gained notoriety in 2007 when he was still a mass comm student in Taiwan’s Ming Chuan University. He had released a rap-remix parody of the Malaysian national anthem that his critics said was anti-government. Last year, he was arrested and placed in remand for four days after 20 non-governmental organisations lodged police reports alleging that the star had insulted Islam in the video for his song ‘Oh My God’. But the Golden Melody Awards-nominated star, who is also a filmmaker and actor (his 2011 movie Nasi Lemak 2.0 was a big hit in Malaysia), insists that the song was meant to promote religious harmony. We guess Namewee’s love for film and music, his predilection for social commentary as well his controversy-fanning sensibilities kinda makes him an amalgamation of Jay Chou, Mr Brown and Xiaxue.