The Questionnaire
Sam Hansen, 32, better known by his stage name PNC, is one of Aotearoa’s finest rappers, his stage name an acronym for Palmerston North City where he was born and raised. The follow up to the albums Rookie Card (2006), Bazooka Kid (2009), Man On Wire (2011) and The Codes (2014), his latest release The Luke Vailima EP was released last month.
What are you plugging now?
‘‘It’s my first EP, called The Luke Vailima EP. Those are my two middle names, because I wanted it to be really personal, but also capture the fact that I’m half Samoan and half European. It’s just a group of seven songs I was really happy with that felt like they told a really solid story together, and so didn’t need any more added to make an album. The songs also pay homage to some people I think are important, like family in Palmerston North and Feilding, my mum, sporting heroes like Jonah and Sonny Bill, and my musical idols.’’
What’s your idea of perfect happiness?
‘‘For me, perfect happiness is just being comfortable with all facets of my life. It’s being comfortable with where my career is up to, and knowing that my family and friends are all doing OK. It’s pretty simple, man. I never think of happiness in terms of money – just myself and the people I care about all doing OK.’’
Which living person do you most admire?
‘‘My mum, and Jay Z. There are songs about both of them on this EP, actually. Jay Z was the guy I listened to the most growing up, and I was obsessed with his music. And my mum – I’ve just always admired her honesty. She’ll always tell anyone her opinion, and she cares deeply about social justice and other people’s lives. She works as a school guidance counsellor, and is completely passionate and transparent on her throughts about all the things she thinks are important in life. She taught me that, and I try to implement that in my own life.’’
Which living person do you most despise?
‘‘I can honestly say no one. I learned long ago that hating just takes up too much energy. It lets that person occupy you, and gives them power you don’t need to give them.’’
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
‘‘I guess growing up, I wasn’t always the thinnest dude. I’m not the kinda guy who runs around with his top off, shall we say. But at the same time, I’m 32 years old and I’m pretty happy with who I am and what I look like. I lost a lot of weight over the last couple of years, which probably helps, ‘cos I was pretty huge at one point. But yeah . . . I like to eat.’’
What job would you do other than your own and why?
‘‘I started being obsessed with music at a really young age, so I didn’t really think about other avenues, but if I think about it now, I would have been fascinated to study psychology, or maybe social work. I’m really interested in why people think and behave the way they do, which probably helps when you’re a rapper. This music is pretty introspective on one level, but also full of people like Biggie or 2Pac acting out roles that represent various facets of their psyche. In one sense, rapping is a theatrical thing, a performance, but on another, is a type of really deep and detailed introspection.’’ — Grant Smithies