PNC
PNC (aka Sam Hansen) is one of today’s most talked about artists in Aotearoa Hip-hop. Hailing from Palmerston North, PNC first gained underground notoriety with his unofficial single "Day In The Life" that topped the bFM charts. He followed that with appearances on various tracks from P-Money’s Magic City album. His refreshing style caught the attention of NZ Music’s elite and earned him a contract with Dirty Records.
He released his debut album Rookie Card in 2006, which was received with overwhelmingly positive reviews. His singles "Just Roll" and "PN Whoa" were top 20 chart hits, and "Who Betta Than This" was an underground smash. In 2007 he won Best Hip-Hop Album at the prestigious Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards.
In 2009 he released his sophomore effort Bazooka Kid, which continued the trend of critical acclaim. It received 4 stars from the notoriously critical NZ Herald and from the Dominion Post, and a 5 star review in Real Groove magazine. His single "Tonight" was a radio hit and reached Top 40 chart status.
In the same year his collaboration with State Of Mind “City On Fire” become a local and international club anthem. A true songwriter, he has writing credits on various Top 10 singles including two Number 1’s (P-Money’s "Stop The Music" and "Everything").
2010 saw the release of his third album, Man On Wire, leading to another nomination for Best Hip-Hop Album. In 2012 he collaborated with up and coming producer Matt Miller for Under The Influence. Released as a free download, the album received rave reviews and tallied 20,000+ downloads.
In 2014 he began his new chapter as an independent artist and released his fifth and most successful album The Codes. The album debuted at #1 on iTunes Albums Chart, was named in The Heralds Top 30 albums of the year and earned yet another NZ Music Award nomination.
