Growing up in Brooklyn, AKINTOLA HANIF was no stranger to the fine arts scene. As a child, he and his father often frequented places like the National Black Theater and the legendary Studio Museum in Harlem, introducing him to some of the most prominent artists of the time.
Akintola was introduced to the graffiti and pop art movement, which dominated New York City’s gallery scene, at a young age. By his early teens, HYZE (an alias he was given at 19) had learned the art of airbrushing and spray painting and began painting murals on the walls and storefronts of New York City under the tag Dest (AOK,CWK). One of his murals is immortalized in Henry Chalfant’s 1985 book “Spraycan Art”.
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