Namewee, the multi-hyphenated Malaysian, who was detained by police on Nov 5 for investigations into the death of Taiwanese influencer Iris Hsieh, has never been too far away from a headline.

Here are a few things to know about the exploits of the 42-year-old singer-songwriter, filmmaker and entrepreneur:

Namewee, whose real name is Wee Meng Chee, took up the stage name because of how his Chinese name sounds. Meng Chee or Ming Zhi in Chinese is a homonym for name (or ming zi in pinyin).

He was born in Muar, a town in Johor where his parents still live. In an unabashed style he has come to be known for, Wee penned an expletive-laden song Muar Mandarin in tribute to his hometown and its associated quirks.

Wee went to a Chinese independent school in Malaysia, where the certification awarded is not applicable for admission to local public universities, leading him to pursue his tertiary studies in Taiwan’s Ming Chuan University.

He has written and spoken about the perceived unfairness, but said he made peace with the idea of returning to contribute to Malaysia through what he learnt abroad.

While he has caught attention for his rapping and singles that ranged from the controversial Fragile (Glass Heart) to the cute Japanglish tune Tokyo Bon, Wee has also received recognition for his vocal abilities.

He was awarded Best Duet Song by Taiwanese radio station Hit FM for Fragile (Glass Hearts) which he performed with Kimberly Chen, a song that took aim at China’s “Little Pink” internet brigade and got him banned from Weibo.

Wee was also twice nominated for Best Mandarin Male Singer by Taiwan’s prestigious Golden Melody Awards.

His song Stranger in the North (Piao Xiang Bei Fang), a hip-hop duet which he wrote and recorded with Wang Leehom without meeting the Taiwanese-American star, is Wee’s most popular video on YouTube with more than 200 million views. It also won multiple awards including