Rapper defends China satire 'Fragile' as views hit 30m
A rapper who penned a viral Mandarin pop song poking fun at Chinese nationalists said Monday he had no regrets about being blacklisted by Beijing as his track hit more than 30 million views on YouTube.
Released last month, Fragile by Malaysian rapper Namewee, featuring Australian singer Kimberley Chen, has become a viral sensation across Asia and beyond despite being scrubbed by censors in mainland China.
The track masquerades as a saccharine love song but is littered with digs towards "little pinks" – a term for China's online army of nationalist commenters – as well as Beijing's authoritarian government.
"I never limit myself or impose self-censorship," Namewee told reporters in Taipei as he and Chen sipped champagne to toast their track's 30 million views milestone.
"To me, good creations should come from the heart, they should be sincere," he added.
Mandarin-speaking singers, film stars and celebrities rarely court controversy when it comes to China given Beijing's long track record of punishing those deemed critical of its rule.
A misspoken word can quickly lead to an artist being frozen out of the world's largest Mandarin-speaking market and a career in ruins.
But the...