Rapper Namewee is never far from controversy and after China banned his latest song ‘Fragile’ for allegedly insulting the nation, views have responded resoundingly by giving the song 32.78 million views in just over a month since its Oct 15 premiere.

Musically, the tune is not hard-hitting hip-hop but a saccharine duet in Mandarin with Australian Kimberley Chen that pokes fun at Beijing and its supporters among the Chinese diaspora who readily accept China's official media line.

“I thought the song would...