Controversial Malaysian rapper Wee Meng Chee, aka Namewee, is ruffling some feathers again, this time pretending to be an Afghan terrorist for his latest music video.
The music video for Hello Hater, which appears to be the 38-year-old’s response to being censored in China, drew mixed reactions from viewers who either praised his bold move or criticized him for misrepresenting Afghanistan culture. The clip showed Wee, who is based in Taiwan, rapping in the middle of a desert in harem pants and a headdress, flanked by belly dancers and a crew acting like militants.
“The Afghan traditional dress, whilst not the burka, is definitely not revealing. Have some respect for other cultures,” one of the viewers, known as Ying Wen said Sunday.
Some were skeptical of the filming location despite Wee insisting that it was filmed in Afghanistan, which was recently conquered by the Taliban. A vehicle in the music video, which features Taiwanese rap duo Asiaboy & Lizi, had a Taiwanese license plate.
The music video came out a month after Wee was banned from Chinese social media platform Weibo over a post that drew parallels between the Chinese Communist Party and the Islamic extremists. The clip features a fictitious terrorist group called Hello Hater that hides in the desert and kidnaps cyberbullies Wee refers to as his haters. The trio rap in Hokkien dialect with lyrics like, “F*ck you, come and face me directly,” and “Go to hell, bastard.”
“I’m saying hello to the haters through Hello Hater,” Wee said in behind the scenes video footage.
“I didn’t care much about the haters anyway…. But if they spread false rumours or twist the facts about me… I’ll fight back,” he added. Wee’s association with controversy goes back 10 years, including the time he allegedly insulted Islam by filming a video with people in dog masks in front of a mosque in Putrajaya.
In Hello Hater, Wee even praised the Taliban for its “fighting spirit” while encouraging fans to emulate the group.
“They stormed the city to invade the whole country. You know, the fighting spirit. We should learn from them,” Wee said.
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