Namewee | |||||||||||
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黄明志 | |||||||||||
 Wee performing in Taiwan, 2016 | |||||||||||
| Born | Wee Meng Chee 6 May 1983 Muar, Johor, Malaysia | ||||||||||
| Nationality | Malaysian | ||||||||||
| Alma mater | Ming Chuan University | ||||||||||
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| Years active | 2007–present | ||||||||||
| Height | 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||
| Partner | Sarah (2010–present) | ||||||||||
| Parents |
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| Musical career | |||||||||||
| Origin |
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| Instruments | |||||||||||
| Wee Meng Chee | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 黃明志 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 黄明志 | ||||||||||
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| Namewee | |||||||||||
| Chinese | 明志 | ||||||||||
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YouTube information | |||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Nationality |  Malaysia | ||||||||||
| Website | https://namewee4896.com/ | ||||||||||
| Channel | |||||||||||
| Years active | 2006–present | ||||||||||
| Subscribers | 3.62 million [1] (April 2024) | ||||||||||
| Total views | 1,514,286,792 Views[1] (29 Aug 2022) | ||||||||||
| Network | WebTVAsia[2] | ||||||||||
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Last updated: 2022-08-29（UTC+8） | |||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||
Wee Meng Chee (Chinese: 黃明志; pinyin: Huáng Míngzhì; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Ûiⁿ Bêng-chì; born 6 May 1983), widely known by his stage name Namewee (/ˈneɪm.wiː/), 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' (Chinese: 名字; pinyin: míngzi).
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 (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 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.[3]
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 attention outside Malaysia, 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.[4]
Wee has since been banned in Mainland China as a result of the song and music video "Fragile" (Chinese: 玻璃心), a collaboration with Taiwan-based Australian singer Kimberley Chen which went viral in October 2021.[5][6]
- ^ a b "About Namewee". YouTube.
- ^ 顏凡裴 (17 October 2020). "【全文】捧紅黃明志WEBTVASIA爆財務危機 百萬網紅遭積欠分潤收益". 鏡週刊. Archived from the original on 8 April 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ "Malaysia's culture of tolerance is under threat". The Economist. 24 September 2016. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
- ^ Namewee's million view songs YouTube playlist, 29 October 2019, retrieved 8 November 2019
- ^ Backhouse, Andrew (19 October 2021). "'Insulting': Singers instantly banned in China". news.com.au. Archived from the original on 18 April 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
- ^ Hsia, Hsiao-hwa (21 October 2021). "'Fragile' song pillorying China's online troll army gets millions of views". Radio Free Asia. Retrieved 21 October 2021.