M'sian rapper Namewee slammed for faking death to promote new song
Malaysian rapper Namewee said those who were disappointed with him for faking his death were "fake fans".
His "death" was first announced on social media on April 1 with a "farewell ceremony" in Kuala Lumper on the same day.
A day later, the rapper revealed that he chose to hold his "funeral" on April 1 because it was April Fools' Day, but "we are not joking".
He added in a social media post: "The point is, we haven't actively sent any press releases to any media outlets, and we haven't responded to anything. All the so-called 'news' you see, all lies and rumours, are not true."
"Through today's news, I can also see the unevenness of the Malaysian news media, and the unprofessional and irresponsible way of reporting, which has disappointed me to graduate from the Department of Mass Communications," he added.
A video of a frustrated reporter outside the "funeral" trying to confirm whether Namewee was dead garnered more than three million views.
It later appeared that the whole thing was to promote his new song called When I'm Gone and its music video released on April 4 at 4.44pm.
Many did not appreciate the ruse, especially actor Wang Li Hong.
Believing that Namewee had died, Wang posted an old photo of the two of them together, adding: "You are always in my heart, bro."
But after learning the truth, he posted: "Some things you have to respect. Not everything you can use for fun or to make fun of. I think Namewee has gone a bit too far this time."
In another post, the actor said: "I’m a humorous person and I love comedy a lot, but everything has its limit. Sorry to say, but this time you have crossed the line."
Namewee responded to those who were dragging him down and saying they were disappointed with his fake death by calling them “fake fans”.
He commented on his own post: “If you’re a true fan, you would understand the importance of this event and the fact that I have conducted other much more drastic campaigns before.”
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