Namewee

Wee Meng Chee (born 6 May 1983), widely known by his stage name Namewee, is a Malaysian hip hop recording artist, composer, filmmaker and actor.

His stage name is a bilingual pun on his first name, the English term for 'name'.

Wee gained popularity after releasing a controversial song titled "Negarakuku", a remake of the national anthem of Malaysia, "Negaraku".

The word Kuku resembles the word for 'penis' in Hokkien.

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 (明志), in Malaysia on 3 September 2007.

The album was completed in May and does not contain "Negarakuku".

In July 2009, Namewee composed the theme and ending songs for the latest Singaporean film 'Where Got Ghost?' 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) 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 early 2010, he released his first film titled Nasi Lemak 2.0.

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 with women.

On 26 August 2010, Wee made a music video titled ''Nah!

2010'' posting on YouTube criticising a school principal in Kulai, 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 (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 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.

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 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.

Namewee is a controversial figure in Malaysian Chinese music.

He first gained mainstream popularity with his song "You're Not Red" (你不紅).

In subsequent years, several other songs also gained global attention, such as "Thai Love Song" (泰國情哥), "High Pitch" (飆高音) "Stranger in the North" (漂向北方) and "Tokyo Bon 2020" (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" (玻璃心), a collaboration with Taiwan-based Australian singer Kimberley Chen which went viral in October 2021.

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 (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, the latter sparking controversy being mistook by many as a song targeting Malaysian Chinese, Malays and Singaporeans.

He majored in Mass communication as an undergraduate at Ming Chuan University in Taoyuan, Taiwan.

A small controversy erupted when a three-part video Teacher Hew's ABC Time (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.