PUNPEE
Japanese rapper Punpee was sheltered by the White stage roof from the light drizzle that came and went during his laid-back set, but that didn’t stop him from donning a clear 300-yen rain poncho like everyone in the crowd. His poncho whipped in the breeze as he bounded around the stage, freestyling over snippets of Oasis’ “Wonderwall” and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Scar Tissue”. In fact, he seemed to be having a freestyle battle with himself, seeing how far along he could make it rapping improv (?) over short loops of various Beck, Beastie Boys and Naughty by Nature hits before the DJ’s transitioned quickly into the next track.
Keeping things light-hearted and relaxed for the beginning of his performance, the crowd were pumping their hands along track after track, most lasting under a minute. He rapped over Linkin Park’s “Numb”, citing them as an early influence and taking a moment to show respect to lead singer Chester Bennington’s recent passing. This naturally segued into his own hit “Hero”. From there, he opened up the set to his own longer sprawling numbers, and even welcomed his cohorts S.L.A.C.K. and GRAPPER on stage to join him. Topping off the easy going set was “Renaissance”, which had the crowd in a good mood, swaying back and forth beneath the light rain. “Hope Kanye West can actually come here someday” he said jokingly as he thanked the crowd and told them he was looking forward to enjoying sets from many of this years Fuji Rock artists.
