KUALA LUMPUR: Hip-hop singer Wee Meng Chee, better known as Namewee, is back with a new song but music lovers are divided about it.
His song titled Bukit Mak is a rock kapak number which features comedian Harith Iskander as his guest vocalist.
The title is a possible nod to Kampung Bukit Mak Lipah in Melor, Kota Baru, Kelantan, based on the new single's music video which was released on Sept 6.
In the video, which is a tribute of sorts to Kelantan and its people, Namewee and Harith along with actress Scha Elinnea act as tourists who visit some of Kota Baru's landmarks such as the Siti Khadijah Market.
Harith at times plays a local law enforcement officer as seen by his safety vest with the initials MPKB (Kota Baru Municipal Council) on it.
In another segment of the video, Namewee and Harith, clad in rocker outfits, sing in a flooded house.
Namewee's satirical lyrics praise the industrious and hospitable people of Kelantan but at the same time take a jab at the Pas-led state government's inability to resolve the problem of "brown tap water", flooding and deteriorating roads.
The music video has since garnered over a million views with over 9,000 likes and has received over 1,000 comments on YouTube.
Most of them praised him for coming up with a good song about the reality of life in Kelantan under Pas rule, but others have criticised him for "unfairly" exaggerating the state's problems.
Namewee also performed his new song with Harith at Bukit Bintang, but this time the public was not too welcoming of it.
One Facebook user said: "Although you can sing anything you want, I think this disrespectful because there are many kids shopping with their parents and the hard-hitting lyrics occasionally sound like swearing."
Another netizen said: "I hope you can be more considerate. Bukit Mak may be real village but the way you say it in your song makes it sound like a swear word."
Namewee's music video clip on Facebook has garnered over two million views and 5,000 comments.
The music video for Bukit Mak is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTLwqahY_5U