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• My little black book

Where were you born and when? On a cold New England winter's day in the US on February 7 1979. We moved back to South Africa in 1995 when I was 16.

Have you received flack for your American accent? I get flack for my accent every day. I grew up in the US with an African name and a big ass so there's always been something that's pushed me out of the identity box.

Where do you live now? In Melville.

Who do you share your house with? My mother and manager, Prudence Matima, and a goldfish called Meeny.

How did you get into your career? In 2002 I discovered the Joburg underground scene and the Jungle Connection in Doornfontein, which used to host lots of poetry sessions - and which was where I first understood what people had meant when they referred to this thing called purpose and passion. I felt it [poetry] and chased it wherever I could find it, never knowing how I was going to make a living doing it. It's only this year, turning 30, that I've felt, okay, this is real.

If my house caught fire, I would save ... my journals. My heart and soul are in my journals, which I've kept since childhood.

What's your favourite building in Joburg? Constitution Hill. I love the way the site transforms something painful into something beautiful.

What's your most memorable moment in Joburg? Coming back from the US to Jan Smuts Airport in the mid-'90s. All my relatives were there, which was very cool.

Have you ever taken public transport in Joburg? From 1995 to 2004, you could talk a taxi driver into taking you anywhere for R20.

How do you get around now? In a blue Renault Clio 3. I got my licence in the US when I was 16, but it took me 13 years to get my licence here.

What's your favourite view in Joburg? It's from the top of Yeoville behind the water tower. From there everything looks like an incredible urban landscape, a beautiful city. You can see Ponte and the flats of Hillbrow, but not any of the underwear or the broken windows. For me it's quintessential Joburg.

What's Joburg's most overrated tourism attraction? Mandela Square. You always see these tourists there and you see them going "cling-cling-cling" with their cameras, taking pictures of that big Mandela statue, which is like a caricature, man.

Which aspect of Joburg has inspired you poetically? Newtown. It's where the creative people in Joburg are always hustling, sweating, playing.

I collect ... art, jewellery and products for natural hair.

What's Joburg's best-kept secret? The food at the Troyeville Hotel. There's this amazing Portuguese restaurant that does paella and calamari and traditionally prepared sardines.

What books have influenced your life the most? I like sci-fi. Octavia Butler and Ursula Le Guin. Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga changed my life. Contemporary South African literature rocks.

You know you've made it as an artist in Joburg when ... you can work with the people you've always dreamt of working with.