Actions speak louder than words, says the proverb, and Tebogo Thapelo Sidney Thekisho is the proof of the pudding.

He’s better known by his hip-hop name, which he adopted in his schooldays, as a signal of his intention to make things happen, ProVerb.

Singer, recording artist, presenter, producer, Idols judge and all-round entertainer.

He sat down with Ruda Landman to chat about his path from underachiever to hip-hop hero, the joys of fatherhood, his high-profile divorce, and the importance of “setting your own definition” of who you want to be.

But he freely admits, looking back, that he wasted opportunities in his youth, and didn’t always put his potential into practise.

Growing up in Kimberley in the Northern Cape, he struggled at school, failing subject after subject, whiling away his free time by rapping freestyle with his friends.

But that would prove to be the foundation of his career, as he turned his skilfully rhyming words into action when he moved to Joburg in 1999 and began entering rap contests and talent shows.

Having discovered his niche in sound engineering, he found a job in radio, as a technical producer for DJ Fresh on YFM.

Inspired by his mentor, ProVerb has gone on to fame and fortune of his own, fulfilling the vision of his most famous song, My Day Will Come.