Mays is self-taught and sold his first commissioned piece in high school. He names album cover artist
Mati Klarwein as an influence, and he has done album art for
Jneiro Jarel and
Jill Scott. Mays's murals include the "BEACON" series, which is based on a quote by
Maya Angelou: “If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities.” The piece at 1700 Broadway is called
Beacon Frequency Reader and is one of the city's largest murals. The mural's installation was arranged by curator Sorell Raino-Tsui, who negotiated the installations of other large murals in Oakland's
Uptown neighborhood. Other locations where he has painted murals include Johannesburg, Mexico City and Jakarta. In February 2019, the
Obama Foundation hosted an event in Oakland for its
My Brother's Keeper initiative, which former president
Barack Obama attended. Mays was commissioned by the Obama Foundation to create an installation for the venue, and he produced murals of smiling black boys. He also spoke to youth at the event about life as an artist. In November 2020 it was announced that
Kaiser Permanente and ABG Art Group were partnering to commission a mural about social justice for Liberation Park in Oakland by Mays and
Rachel Wolfe-Goldsmith. == References ==