Blek Le Rat’s story is really one of triumph, guaranteed to warm the coldest hearts. The artist had been working in relative obscurity for more than 30 years, stencilling his iconic rats around the city streets. It wasn’t until global mega-star Banksy deigned to name drop Blek as  a source of inspiration for his work during an interview that people began to recognise the true impact of his legacy.

Now, his work is highly sought after and traded in galleries across the world – and Blek is getting the respect and acknowledgement that he deserves. Complex recently caught some time with the iconic artist, talking through his history and exploring his feelings about those artists whom Blek helped pave the way for.