Dazed Digital: You’re so young for such a strong socially conscious narrative. What drives the anti-consumerism messages in your street art? Were you always so socially aware?
KAI: Well, I was raised by amazing parents! Kudos to them! They were always very straight with me and told me that I hold my future in my own hands. I always tried to stay “good” (which is funny because street art to the establishment is bad) and away from things that would could affect my future. My parents were great role models, so I have to thank them for leading me down the right path and encouraging me and supporting me. I always found art to be a great medium for spreading a message and sharing a belief. I want my street art to help people, to get people thinking.

DD: Why do you think some people have issues with street art?
KAI: When there are any problems with street art, I think it stems from the art defacing private property. The people who own the property really hold it close to them because it’s something that took them years to obtain. This will be a constant problem because street artists will always be looking for new canvases to work on. However, in some cases, property owners embrace the art, encourage it and even ask for it.
Also, a lot of people and culture critics assume we are just punks and do not take our work seriously. They don’t view our work as an art form and associate it with negative connotations.

Dazed Digital: How do you think growing up in Los Angeles has had an influence on you? 
KAI: Well, Los Angeles is a very established city, meaning you’re always surrounded by advertisements and commercials from major corporations in a saturated environment. Growing up I started to realise how much art and design goes into advertising as a mode to draw consumers in. In many cases, I realised it is made to brainwash the consumer.

My street artwork is a reflection of that realisation from a young age… It’s ANTI advertising, it’s sort of a way to balance advertising with honesty. That’s what came through with the Morons collections and Marlboro. I replaced the iconic imagery of Marlboro cigarettes with the headline “Morons.”