Malaysian rapper Namewee has returned to the spotlight with his latest Lunar New Year single, his first release since he was recently acquitted of a drug use charge, as police continue to investigate the death of a Taiwanese influencer who had travelled to Kuala Lumpur to work with him.
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.
Namewee, Chinese Malaysians, GV Rides, Lunar New Year, Malaysia, Iris Hsieh, Cantonese, Kuala Lumpur#Scandalhit #Malaysian #rapper #Namewee #releases #Lunar #Year #single #legal #cases #loom1767771367
Cantonese
cases
Chinese Malaysians
GV Rides
Iris Hsieh
Kuala Lumpur
legal
loom
Lunar
Lunar New Year
malaysia
Malaysian
Namewee
rapper
releases
Scandalhit
Single
Year
