Shout-out to NZ's 'Philly' roots

BY MICHELLE DUFF

It ain't exactly the hood, but Manawatu's answer to Philadelphia has been given a shout-out by award-winning rapper PNC, aka Sam Hansen.

In his newly released single Tonight, the rapper, who grew up in the Manawatu, is proud to acknowledge his old stomping ground, Feilding.

Among some people who live there, Feilding, population 12,000, is referred to in a tongue-in-cheek way as "Philly".

In the Tonight video, available on YouTube, the New Zealand music award-winning rapper is shown strolling through the pages of a trashy magazine.

In one sequence, he rhymes in front of the Welcome to Feilding: New Zealand's Most Beautiful Town sign, with lyrics: " ... repping [representing] PN [Palmerston North] by the way of Philly/Feilding that is ..."

The screen then slices to a page splashed with the headline Feilding Fracas and a tabloid spread showing a supposed night of sleazy scandal in Feilding.

Hansen also pokes fun at gossipy magazine stories on Millie Holmes' drug bust and the Tony Veitch case.

Though he went to Awatapu College, in Palmerston North, Hansen commuted from Feilding daily with his mum, Kathy Hansen.

Ms Hansen, a counsellor at Queen Elizabeth College, couldn't stop talking about her son's achievements when visited by the Manawatu Standard.

An entire wall in her office is dedicated to photos of her son, now based in Auckland.

The boy who used to work part-time at Feilding KFC has always been proud of his roots, she said.

"He doesn't like being treated like a star really, he finds it slightly embarrassing. He's not into that thing at all, so I think he's got his head together when it comes to that sort of stuff," Ms Hansen said.

Hansen began his career with a show on Massey University's student radio station. At 19, he told his mum he was moving to Auckland, to break into the hip-hop scene.

"He said 'I want to go to Auckland to get into hip-hop' and I said 'see ya later!'. Well, not exactly, but I thought 'oh yeah'," Ms Hansen said.

In Auckland, he joined underground crew Breakn Wreakwordz, before hooking up with producer P Money. He was noticed by industry heavyweight DJ Sirvere, and in 2005 signed a contract with Dirty Records for his debut album, Rookie Card.

Ms Hansen has followed his every step. "I'm a critic as well as his biggest fan you know, I tell him what I think of him."

When Hansen was a fledgling rapper in Palmerston North, she often attended gigs with Hansen's "crew" of 17 and 18-year-old friends.

"I'm a bit of a rarity, a 62-year-old white hip-hop fan," Mrs Hansen said.

But she admits it gives her extra credibility with her students and maybe even more soon, if she manages to convince Hansen to make a guest appearance at an undisclosed school event. Stay tuned.

PNC's new album, Bazooka kid, is due for release on June 2.

- © Fairfax NZ News