KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 7 — After weeks of legal uncertainty, Malaysian rapper Namewee has returned to the public eye with the release of his new Chinese New Year single.

The release comes after his acquittal at the Magistrates Court last month, against the backdrop of police investigations into the death of Taiwanese influencer Hsieh Yu-hsin, also known online as Iris Hsieh or “Nurse Goddess”.

Coinciding with this year’s Chinese zodiac animal, the horse, Namewee, whose real name is Wee Meng Chee, said his latest Chinese New Year song, Type C Malaysia, draws inspiration from the ancestral roots and dialects of Malaysian Chinese.

“Many of these languages are gradually disappearing, and I hope to showcase them in my own way through this song.

“The aim is to let the world see that the festival does not have to be cold and wintry as we Malaysian Chinese (Type-C) are joyfully celebrating a Chinese New Year that belongs to us on the equator too,” the brief description of the music video uploaded on YouTube reads.

The music video has racked up more than 2.5 million views since being uploaded on January 2.

The song, produced in collaboration with Malaysian e-hailing app GV Rides, features veteran local singers representing six of Malaysia’s most commonly spoken Chinese dialects — Cantonese, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainanese, Foochow and Teochew.

Describing the song as too complex to complete alone, Wee said he brought together accomplished lyricists from each dialect alongside several “classic” singers to give the project greater meaning and representation.

“Type C” is a racial euphemism that gained notoriety in May 2024 after it was used by a local fried chicken brand in a social media post in response to a customer complaint about prices, which drew widespread backlash.

Namewee added that the music video incorporates six colours — blue, orange, pink, white, yellow and purple — symbolising different ancestral origins, inspired by the Johor Ancient Temple Chingay Festival, a century-old annual event involving major Chinese clans.

The music video also features a cameo by Inthiran Packirisamy, who went viral two years ago following a physical altercation with a shopkeeper at a minimarket in Seberang Jaya, Penang, an incident widely referred to online as “one by one, gentleman”

Namewee was detained to assist police investigations after Hsieh was found dead in a hotel room along Jalan Conlay on October 22, with the case later reclassified as a murder investigation.

He was charged on October 24 with drug use and possession following a police search, before being released on bail pending further investigations.

In December, he was acquitted of the drug use charge after the chemist’s report showed his urine test result was negative and the prosecution withdrew the case.

However, he still faces a separate drug possession charge at another Magistrates’ Court, with the case fixed for mention on January 19.