Kanyi Mavi, one of South Africa's sharpest new hip-hop artists, speaks beautiful English but she raps strictly in her mother tongue Xhosa.

It's my language; it's such a beautiful language. It's so rich."

A social commentator with a keen eye, her lyrical flow allows her to deliver astute observations - like on her track Ngqangqa about the lavish lifestyles of the drug barons and the resulting impact on inner city youth.

Xhosa, one of South Africa’s 11 official languages, is typified by the distinctive click sound - made famous by the late Miriam Makeba in her interpretation of Click Song, which is traditionally sung at Xhosa weddings.

Mavi says English is just not as expressive as Xhosa:

Why should I do it [in English] when I can do it in my own language? What’s wrong with my language? It’s ancient. It’s got depths that I haven’t even reached yet."

The singer spoke to me for my documentary series Africa: A Journey into Music, which explores the musical traditions of African countries and their influence on popular music.