The Y DJ, radio host, MC and content producer served as the official host for SABC 1 over the weekend, roaming behind the scenes, backstage and across the grounds. Her brief took her from the stage to the crowd and back again, and by every account she left no corner of the event unvisited.

The festival marked its 20th year under the theme "Against All Odds", a nod to the many transformations the genre has weathered. The lineup matched the milestone, with AB-Soul, Slum Village and Blu & Exile among the headliners. Fae Fae sat down with the last two, international acts whose presence underlined the festival's standing in the local events calendar.

She also turned the spotlight homeward. Conversations with DJ Zan-D, Gigi Lamayne, Lord Script and Kitchen Mess covered their views on the festival and on the current state of the Hip Hop movement, alongside stories of their own career moves.

For Fae Fae, the Slum Village and Blu & Exile interviews were the highlight. "As a host I experienced different viewpoints from the performing artists all the way to the beloved fans in the crowd," she said. "I hope my work made the entire team at Back To The City proud."

Those who were there, and those who were not, will soon get to relive it: the SABC 1 coverage is set to air on the public broadcaster.

Fae Fae's route to the festival mic has been steady rather than sudden. She began in 2013 as a radio news anchor at UJFM, was presenting two shows there by 2018, and started DJing in 2019. In 2020 she left her corporate job to join Y, and has focused on radio and DJing ever since.