AKAYO “I hate the police they all can suck my dick”

Endless Canvas: How many years have you been doing the art thing? (how many years have you been writing?)
AKO: I’ve been writing since 1994 and creating art pretty much my whole life and doing it for a living since 2006-7 i think..My mom is a artist so i started young.

EC: What graffiti artists influences your work? if you could go into some detail how they helped you out that, would be awesome.
AKO: My influences come from the streets of San Francisco and the Bay area. Revs, King Tie, Kr, Mr. McGee, Felon, Rem, Dug one, King Dream where always big influences in my graffiti. Growing up in the Bay I was exposed to the best graffiti in the world and thats all I saw growing up, we didn’t have internet back then so local graff was it. But my big influences in graf are my folks and friends like Serch UTI RTH, Smear, Rekoil, Otis, Graffia, Musk, Susr, Ceze, Branded, Melo and all the homies..

EC: What influences your work other than graffiti?
AKO: Skateboarding, making films, traveling, life’s ups and downs?

EC: Is beer good or bad?
AKO: Beer is good. I don’t drink much I’m way more of a stoner than dranker but beer is kool. Where the weed at?

EC: When was the last time you paid taxes?
AKO: Last year, I did some stuff for a few companies and had to pay taxes. Taxes suck. They just raised taxes here in california

EC: Rate your love for the police on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the highest?
AKO: I hate the police they all can suck my dick

EC: Would you call yourself a tagger, bomber, artist or what? And could you give a reason why?
AKO: I just do what I do, I’m not into labels.

EC: On average how many times do you go out and paint in a month?
AKO: I get up everyday I’m alive. For some reason I feel the need to write on something everyday, its apart of everyday routine. When I travel I write alot more cause new cities are awesome and I have to leave my mark.

EC: What era/ region of graffiti do you hold up as the greatest (NYC 80 Subway, 90’s LA, etc……)?
AKO: San Francisco 1990s where my all time favorite, its where I’m from seen and lived in. Some of the best graffiti and most groundbreaking bombing was going down in SF in the 90’s and still to this day. I would have like to seen new york during the subway movement,i bet that shit was sick!

EC: What got you started making art or keeps you making art?
AKO: I enjoy making art and I don’t know what else I would do with myself without art in my life. It has enabled me to travel,work on projects, make stuff I, show my work, pay my bills. I’m still excited about making art and when I’m not excited I’ll stop.

EC: What is your favorite beer?
AKO: hmmm weed.?

EC: Have you done stencils or wheat paste? (if not) Have you ever thought of doing such things?
AKO: I’ve done wheat paste before but never really into that much, I like tagging and painting. Wheat paste and stencils are both great mediums if used correctly.

EC: Do you see a different between what some call “street art” from what some call “ego graff/ tagging”?
AKO: Street art and graffiti have nothing to do with each other in my eyes, different ball game and lets keep it like that. I hate the term “street art”

EC: What is your feelings on the buff?
AKO: Its life we have to learn to live with it and its only getting worse these days it seems. Lately its still all about the streets but I’ve been painting more landmark spot where I know it will take the buff years to get it..?
AKAYO “I hate the police they all can suck my dick”
EC: You can only pick one to save from total destruction.
a. your mom
b. your girlfriend
c. your beer
AKO: my skateboard
EC: Nice try but your still wrong, its always beer.

EC: Could you give a brief history of your graffiti career? or. Could you give a brief history of your local graffiti scene? If you want to answer both that would be awesome.
AKO: I stared in 1994 in the sf bay area been working on the streets here since a young age. Grew up like everyone else who got into graffiti. I got into it from mainly from skateboarding and being a little punk kid looking to do some damage..

EC: Anybody you would like to shout out or give thanks to?
AKO: Everyone who’s supported me in my life journey, my family, My Family RTH, Smear, Serch, Osiris Shoes, All the galleries I work with and support me, 531 Gallery, Danny Warhol, my muse, Two Rabbits Studios, James, Susr, Yoshi, Jdis.