Local singer-rapper Namewee (黃明志) has been keeping his head low for a while now. However, it seems he’s been unwillingly dragged into some drama by, of all people, a hacker.
Aside for being famous for his songs, Namewee is known for being active on his socials. As such, him losing his YouTube channel to a hacker was a huge deal and a devastating blow. The singer has since responded to the issue, both with his own theories on what happened and a promise to find said hacker.
Yesterday (5th April), netizens noted some very surprising changes to Namewee’s YouTube channel. First of all, his name had been changed to profanities in Russian, although his profile picture remained the same. Additionally, all his videos were gone from the channel.
Initially, there had been no news from Namewee regarding the issue. When media portal ETtoday (ETtoday星光雲) reached out to Namewee’s agent, this was the statement given. “Presently, I hope to ask YouTube to (restore) the previous content. It was stolen in the evening on 4th April, and it is estimated that the channel (lost) 6 billions views overnight,” the agent said.
It was definitely a sore point for Namewee as his YouTube channel is pretty much evidence of his hard work throughout the years. The rapper began the channel in 2006 and continued uploading all his videos there. He also managed to gain 3.27 million followers, not an easy feat. However, everything that was accumulated on said channel for over a decade was gone.
Namewee later shared his thoughts on the matter, relegating himself to other socials. He explained he was late in responding because he is currently in Waterloo, London. However, that didn’t stop him from cussing out the hacker.
“My YouTube channel has been hacked by someone from Russia,” he stated, angling his phone to the camera. “These (indicating the channel’s name) are Russian words. So I guess (it’s) someone from Russia.” Namewee purposefully addressed the supposed Russian hacker, calling him out and spitting some Russian insults. “And we support Ukraine!” he added viciously. “F**k you!”
In a second post, the rapper thanked his fans and friends for lending him support during the incident. Namewee acknowledged that he has stepped on a lot of toes, but argued this wasn’t warranted. “I have never blocked any comments that criticize me or even maliciously slander me, and (I) reserve the right to speak to everyone,” he stated. Nonetheless, the artist reassured fans that they were working to recover his account. “Justice must prevail!” he finished.
Although Namewee apparently began a temporary account on YouTube, it seems there isn’t a need for it anymore. At the time of writing, Namewee’s YouTube account has been recovered and all his videos restored. It’s a very lucky break for the rapper!
Namewee is well known for his controversies as well as his work. For instance, there was the incident with his song “Fragile” and his mess with Blackpink’s fans, to name a few. However, this might be the first time someone attempted a cyber attack on the artist. Hopefully, this will be the last time too.
