Back in my mid-20s I was told I'd never be able to have children as I wasn't having periods. Doctors tried to start up my monthly cycles, but when nothing worked, they actually offered me a hysterectomy. Without it, they said I might get ovarian cancer in the future. I chose not to have the operation, and am so glad I didn't.

I don't rhyme right now, but I may ten years from now.

Africa doesn't leap on you immediately; it seeps slowly, and it's incredibly important to be respectful and humble there.

For my writing, and because I love talking to young women about life, I often asked them which would they rather have - a father in the house with them while growing up or a big butt? I tell you 86 percent of the time, girls say a big butt because it gets them further.

Heartbreak was the impetus to me writing poems and music in the first place.

Soul music is about longevity and reaching and touching people on a human level - and that's never going to get lost.

A woman is more than the sum of her parts. So I had an opportunity to present some work at the White House. I chose not just to talk about the sky, the planet, love or heartache. I wanted to actually be there, to place a mark on that moment.