PNC

Samuel Hansen, known professionally as PNC, is a New Zealand rapper and songwriter from Palmerston North. His stage name refers to Palmerston North City. He first gained attention in the early 2000s through the New Zealand underground hip-hop scene before signing to P-Money's Dirty Records.

PNC appeared on several tracks from P-Money's 2004 album Magic City, including "Get Back" and the "3,2,1" remix, and later released his debut album, Rookie Card, in 2006.

His later releases include Bazooka Kid (2009), Man On Wire (2011), Under the Influence (2012), The Codes (2014), The Luke Vailima EP (2016) and the Unbothered Rapper project beginning in 2024. The Spinoff has described Bazooka Kid as "one of the most singular hip hop albums ever released in New Zealand".

Early life and background Hansen is from Palmerston North, New Zealand.

The album's singles included "Just Roll", which reached number 11 on the New Zealand Singles Chart, and "PNWhoa!", which reached number 17.

2009–2010: Bazooka Kid and expanded sound PNC released his second album, Bazooka Kid, in 2009. Its singles included "Tonight", which reached number 35 on the New Zealand Singles Chart.

Muzic.NZ reported that Bazooka Kid received strong reviews from New Zealand publications, including four-star reviews from The New Zealand Herald and The Dominion Post, and a five-star review in Real Groove. Muzic.NZ reported that the album led to another Best Hip-Hop Album nomination.

In 2013, PNC left Dirty Records and established the independent label Flair Ultra Music. NZ Musician described the album as a stylistic shift that incorporated dance and electronic elements while retaining PNC's lyrical focus.

The Codes was nominated for Best Urban / Hip Hop Album at the 2014 New Zealand Music Awards, alongside David Dallas's Falling into Place and Ladi6's Automatic.

In 2016, PNC released The Luke Vailima EP. The New Zealand Music Commission described the project as earning another Best Urban Hip-Hop Album nomination.

After this period, PNC shifted more of his focus to behind-the-scenes work and earned an honours degree in psychology, while continuing to release music including "Heil Maria" and "Ring Bells". The songs continued a pattern of sports references in his music, following earlier tracks such as "Sonny Bill 04" and "Jonah 95".

In a 2019 interview with The Spinoff, Hansen discussed the long-term reputation of Bazooka Kid, his mixed-ethnicity identity, the difficulty of sustaining a rap career in New Zealand, and his later study of psychology.

"Zig Zag", featuring David Dallas and produced by Matt Miller, entered the Hot NZ Singles Chart at number three.

Artistry and themes PNC is known for a fluid, technical rap style and hook-driven songwriting. Muzic.NZ described him as a "true songwriter" with writing credits on New Zealand top-ten singles, including P-Money's number-one singles "Stop the Music" and "Everything".

His lyrics often include sports references, personal reflection, social observation and references to his Palmerston North background. Songs such as "Half Kast" and "Intro" from Bazooka Kid address family, class and mixed-ethnicity identity. In the same retrospective, PNC said Bazooka Kid reflected a period when he was trying to find himself as a writer and artist.

Musically, Bazooka Kid has been noted for its 1980s-influenced synthesiser sound, while The Codes incorporated more dance and electronic elements.

Legacy and influence PNC is regarded as one of the key New Zealand rappers to emerge after the early-2000s commercial breakthrough of New Zealand hip hop associated with Scribe, P-Money, Dirty Records and Dawn Raid Entertainment. His debut album Rookie Card won a New Zealand Music Award, while later projects such as Bazooka Kid, Under the Influence and The Luke Vailima EP have been cited by New Zealand music writers as important works in the local rap canon.

Discography

Studio albums and EPs + Albums and EPs, with selected chart positions Title Details Peak chart position NZ Rookie Card Released: 2006 Label: Dirty Records Format: CD, digital 30 Bazooka Kid Released: 2009 Label: Dirty Records Format: CD, digital 18 Man On Wire Released: 2011 Label: Dirty Records Format: CD, digital 39 Under the Influence Released: 2012 Label: Flair Ultra Music Format: Digital download — The Codes Released: 2014 Label: RookieKid Format: CD, digital 16 The Luke Vailima EP Released: 2016 Label: Independent Format: Digital download, streaming — Unbothered Rapper II Released: 2026 Label: Independent Format: Digital download, streaming —

Mixtapes Title Year Notes Ohhhh.....On the PNC Tip 2005 Early mixtape release.

Singles + Selected singles and chart positions Year Title Artist credit Peak chart positions Album / project NZ NZHot NZHotAotearoa 2003 "Day in the Life" PNC — — — Non-album single 2006 "Just Roll" PNC 11 — — Rookie Card 2006 "Who Betta Than This?" PNC — — — Rookie Card 2007 "PNWhoa!" PNC 17 — — Rookie Card 2007 "Saturday Getaway" PNC featuring Awa — — — Rookie Card 2008 "Moonlight" PNC featuring Zeisha Fremaux — — — Bazooka Kid 2008 "Find Me" PNC featuring Chong Nee — — — Bazooka Kid 2008 "Take Me Home" PNC featuring Mz J — — — Bazooka Kid 2009 "Tonight" PNC 35 — — Bazooka Kid 2009 "1/2 Kast" PNC — — — Bazooka Kid 2011 "Let Your Lover Know" PNC featuring The Checks — — — Man On Wire 2011 "Murderer" PNC — — — Man On Wire 2011 "That Kinda Guy" PNC — — — Man On Wire 2016 "All I See" PNC — — — The Luke Vailima EP 2016 "Sonny Bill 04" PNC — — — The Luke Vailima EP 2016 "Hova Song" PNC — — — The Luke Vailima EP 2016 "Jonah 95" PNC — — — The Luke Vailima EP 2017 "Iverson 01" PNC — — — Non-album single 2017 "Too Easy" PNC — — — Non-album single 2024 "Mazda Familia" PNC — — — Unbothered Rapper 2024 "SJ 23" PNC — — — Unbothered Rapper 2024 "Zig Zag" PNC featuring David Dallas — — 3 Unbothered Rapper 2024 "We On" PNC — — 11 Unbothered Rapper

"—" denotes a recording that did not chart, was not released in that territory, or for which no reliable chart source has been identified.

Selected featured appearances Year Song Artist Project 2004 "3,2,1" remix / "Get Back" P-Money featuring PNC and David Dallas Magic City 2005 "Move Make Way" Tyree featuring Savage and PNC Sione's Wedding soundtrack 2007 "Put Your Hands Up" Scribe featuring PNC Rhymebook 2008 "Think Twice" Aotearoa All Stars Non-album single 2008 "Everything" rap remix P-Money featuring PNC, David Dallas, Vince Harder and others Everything 2009 "City on Fire" State of Mind featuring PNC Faster Than Light 2009 "In the Mood" David Dallas featuring PNC Something Awesome 2015 "Team, Ball, Player, Thing" #KiwisCureBatten featuring Lorde, Kimbra, Brooke Fraser and others Non-album charity single

Awards and nominations Year Award Work Result Ref. 2007 New Zealand Music Awards – Best Urban / Hip Hop Album Rookie Card Won 2007 Pacific Music Awards – Best Pacific Hip Hop Artist Rookie Card Nominated 2007 Pacific Music Awards – Best Pacific Male Artist Rookie Card Nominated 2014 New Zealand Music Awards – Best Urban / Hip Hop Album The Codes Nominated 2016 New Zealand Music Awards – Best Urban / Hip Hop Album The Luke Vailima EP Nominated