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Olajide Olayinka Williams "JJ" Olatunji (born 19 June 1993), better known by his online alias KSI, is an English
influencer A social media influencer, or simply influencer (also known as an online influencer), is a person who builds a grassroots online presence through engaging content such as photos, videos, and updates. This is done by using direct audience intera ...
,
professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...
and musician. He is a co-founding member of
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
group the
Sidemen The Sidemen is a British collective consisting of YouTubers, influencers and internet personalities KSI, Miniminter, Zerkaa, TBJZL, Behzinga, Vikkstar123, and W2S. The group produce videos of various challenges, sketches, and video game c ...
, the CEO of Misfits Boxing and co-owner of several businesses, including Prime Hydration and
Lunchly Lunchly (stylized in all caps) is an American brand of snack kits created and marketed by Lunchly LLC. The brand is promoted and founded as a joint venture between internet personalities Olajide "KSI" Olatunji, Logan Paul, and Jimmy "MrBeast" ...
. Born in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
to parents of Yoruba heritage and raised in
Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...
, KSI was privately educated at
Berkhamsted School Berkhamsted School is a private day school (known in the UK as a public school), in the market town of Berkhamsted, in Hertfordshire, England. The present school was formed in 1997 by the amalgamation of the original Berkhamsted School, founded ...
. He registered his main YouTube channel ''KSI''—then known as ''KSIOlajidebt''—in 2009 and built a following through his commentary videos of the ''
FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...
'' video game series. His content later diversified to include
vlog A vlog (), also known as a video blog or video log, is a form of blog for which the medium is video. Vlog entries often combine embedded video (or a video link) with supporting text, images, and other metadata. Entries can be recorded in one ta ...
s and comedic
skits Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in ...
. In 2019, he was ranked second by ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'' in its list of most influential online creators in the United Kingdom''.'' In 2021, he was listed in the ''Europe Entertainment'' category of ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30; he was later ranked by ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' as the second-top creator of 2023. As of January 2025, he has over 44 million subscribers and 14 billion video views across his three active YouTube channels. Creating
hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...
music as early as 2011, he first achieved commercial success with "
Lamborghini Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. ( , ), usually referred to as Lamborghini or colloquially Lambo, is an Italian manufacturer of luxury sports cars and SUVs based in Sant'Agata Bolognese. The company is owned by the Volkswagen Group through its su ...
" (featuring
P Money Paris Joel Moore-Williams (born 8 April 1989), better known by his stage name P Money, is a British grime MC, rapper and songwriter from New Cross, South East London, who is also active in the drum and bass scene. He is best known for his li ...
) in 2015. His debut EP, '' Keep Up'' (2016), topped the UK R&B Albums Chart. He released his debut studio album, ''Dissimulation'', in 2020, which peaked at number two on the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
. His second studio album, ''All Over the Place'' (2021), debuted at number one and was
certified platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
by the BPI; its lead singles "
Don't Play "Don't Play" is a song by English musicians Anne-Marie, KSI, and Digital Farm Animals. It was written alongside Andrew Murray, S-X, Richard Boardman of the disbanded Delphic, Pablo Bowman, and Mojam, who produced it with Digital Farm Anima ...
" (with
Anne-Marie Anne-Marie Rose Nicholson (born 7 April 1991) is an English singer and songwriter. She has attained various charting singles on the UK Singles Chart, including Clean Bandit's " Rockabye", which peaked at number one, as well as "Alarm", " Ciao ...
and
Digital Farm Animals Nick Gale, known professionally as Digital Farm Animals, is an English DJ and record producer known for wearing an electronic pig helmet. He has featured on and co-written numerous tracks that have reached the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart, ...
) and "
Holiday A holiday is a day or other period of time set aside for festivals or recreation. ''Public holidays'' are set by public authorities and vary by state or region. Religious holidays are set by religious organisations for their members and are often ...
" both debuted at number two on the UK Singles Chart and were nominated for Song of the Year at the Brit Awards. He has achieved fourteen top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, with seven peaking in the top 10. He received the Brit Billion Award in 2024, for amassing over one billion music streams in the United Kingdom. He also starred in the
direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strat ...
comedy film '' Laid in America'' (2016), and has been the subject of multiple documentaries, including
Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...
's '' In Real Life'' (2023). He was involved in a white-collar boxing match against Joe Weller in February 2018. Two further boxing events against American YouTuber
Logan Paul Logan Alexander Paul (born April 1, 1995) is an American influencer, professional wrestler, Entrepreneurship, entrepreneur, boxing, boxer, and actor. He has over 23 million subscribers on his YouTube channel ''Logan Paul Vlogs'' and has ranked ...
took place, the second of which was a professional bout in which he won via
split decision A split decision (SD) is a winning criterion in boxing, most commonly in full-contact combat sports, in which two of the three judges score one particular competitor as the winner, while the third judge scores for the other competitor. A split de ...
in November 2019. In August 2022, he fought two people in the same night, defeating rapper
Swarmz Brandon Montel Scott (born 11 September 1996), known professionally as Swarmz, is an English rapper and crossover boxer. He released his breakout single "Lyca" in 2018 which lead him to sign with Virgin Records. He was featured on "Houdini" w ...
and professional boxer Luis Alcaraz Pineda. In 2023, he fought FaZe Temperrr in
January January is the first month of the year in the Julian calendar, Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. The first day of the month is known as New Year's Day. It is, on average, the coldest month of the year within most of the No ...
,
Joe Fournier Joe Fournier (born 23 January 1983) is a British businessman and professional boxer. He started a fitness business, before selling it and then subsequently moved into the nightclub industry. He had an exhibition fight with David Haye on 11 Sept ...
in
May May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. May is a month of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Therefore, May in the Southern Hemisphere is the ...
, and Tommy Fury in
October October is the tenth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. The eighth month in the old calendar of Romulus , October retained its name (from Latin and Greek ''ôctō'' meaning "eight") after Januar ...
, which he lost via
unanimous decision A unanimous decision (UD) is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and other sports involving striking and submission in which all three judges agree on which fighte ...
.


Early life

Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunji was born on 19 June 1993 in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and was raised in
Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...
,
Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...
. His father, Olajide Olatunji, was born in
Ibadan Ibadan (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the List of Nigerian cities by population, third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano (city), Kano, with a total populatio ...
,
Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
. His mother, Olayinka Olatunji (
née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...
Atinuke), is from
Islington Islington ( ) is an inner-city area of north London, England, within the wider London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's #Islington High Street, High Street to Highbury Fields ...
, London. He and his parents are from the Yoruba ethnic group. He was educated at Reddiford School in
Pinner Pinner is a suburb in the London Borough of Harrow, northwest London, England, northwest of Charing Cross, close to the border with Hillingdon, historically in the county of Middlesex. The population was 38,698 in 2021. Originally a mediaeval ...
and
Berkhamsted School Berkhamsted School is a private day school (known in the UK as a public school), in the market town of Berkhamsted, in Hertfordshire, England. The present school was formed in 1997 by the amalgamation of the original Berkhamsted School, founded ...
in
Berkhamsted Berkhamsted ( ) is a historic market town in Hertfordshire, England, in the River Bulbourne, Bulbourne valley, north-west of London. The town is a Civil parishes in England, civil parish with a town council within the borough of Dacorum which ...
, where he met future collaborator and
Sidemen The Sidemen is a British collective consisting of YouTubers, influencers and internet personalities KSI, Miniminter, Zerkaa, TBJZL, Behzinga, Vikkstar123, and W2S. The group produce videos of various challenges, sketches, and video game c ...
member Simon Minter. KSI's younger brother, , is also a YouTuber previously known as ''ComedyShortsGamer'', and professional boxer. The brothers ranked first and second respectively as the "UK's Most Influential YouTube Creators" by ''Tubular Labs'' in 2015.


YouTube and online career


2008–2013: Beginnings and ''FIFA'' videos

KSI registered his first account on YouTube under the username "JideJunior" in 2008 while in his early teens. He registered his current YouTube account on 24 July 2009 under the name KSI Olajide BT, where he uploaded
gaming Gaming may refer to: Games and sports The act of playing games, as in: * Legalized gambling, playing games of chance for money, often referred to in law as "gaming" * Playing a role-playing game, in which players assume fictional roles * Playing ...
–commentary videos of the ''FIFA'' video game series from his bedroom at his parents' house in Watford. "KSI" stands for Knowledge Strength Integrity, which was taken from a
Halo HALO, halo, halos or haloes may refer to: Most common meanings * Halo (optical phenomenon) * Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head * ''Halo'' (franchise), a sci-fi video game series (2001–2021) Arts and en ...
clan. He dropped out of
sixth form college A sixth form college (pre-university college in Malaysia) is an educational institution, where students aged 16 to 19 study typically for advanced post-school level qualifications such as GCE Advanced Level, A Levels, Business and Technology Edu ...
to pursue his YouTube career once he was earning steady monthly revenue from his uploads. In an interview in 2014, he recounted asking his teacher whether he should drop-out. His teacher asked how much KSI was making from YouTube, to which KSI answered, "around £1,500 a month", which was more than his teacher earned. His parents initially disapproved, but later became supportive and featured in a number of his videos. KSI later uploaded more
vlog A vlog (), also known as a video blog or video log, is a form of blog for which the medium is video. Vlog entries often combine embedded video (or a video link) with supporting text, images, and other metadata. Entries can be recorded in one ta ...
-style content and played a variety of games and in 2012, the channel reached a million subscribers. KSI's rise to fame was not without controversy, with him being widely criticised for his self-described 'rape-face', a recurring joke on his channel during 2012 and 2013. He was the centre of a controversy following third-party allegations of
sexual harassment Sexual harassment is a type of harassment based on the sex or gender of a victim. It can involve offensive sexist or sexual behavior, verbal or physical actions, up to bribery, coercion, and assault. Harassment may be explicit or implicit, wit ...
of female staff at a ''
Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 alongside parent company Gamer Network. In 2008, it started in the formerly eponymous trade fair EGX (Eurogamer Expo until 2013) organised by its parent company. Fr ...
'' event in 2012, that went so far as accusing him of
sexual assault Sexual assault is an act of sexual abuse in which one intentionally Physical intimacy, sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or Coercion, coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their w ...
ing a spokesmodel Brandy Brewer, despite her tweeting that she consented to the
motorboat A motorboat or powerboat is a boat that is exclusively powered by an engine; faster examples may be called "speedboats". Some motorboats are fitted with inboard engines, others have an outboard motor installed on the rear, containing the inter ...
, writing, "it's called comedy……relax". As a result,
Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...
cut ties with KSI and he was banned from ''Eurogamer'' events. KSI subsequently apologised "for any offence the video of 15 months ago may have caused in the short time it was on his YouTube channel, references to it since and subsequently used by other people" and stated his desire to move on from the incident and "be judged on the great content and value he gives to brands and partners, without controversy."


2013–present: Sidemen and expanding content

In October 2013, KSI signed with
Maker Studios Maker(s) or The Maker(s) may refer to: Film and television * ''The Maker'' (film), a 1997 American drama film * Maker Studios, now part of Disney Digital Network, an American multi-channel TV network *''Makers'', a 2014 British documentary seri ...
' sub-network, Polaris. Since 19 October 2013, KSI has been part of the British YouTube group known as the Sidemen. The group produces online videos, most often consisting of challenges, sketches and video-game commentary, as well as selling exclusive Sidemen merchandise. In July 2014, KSI and
Comedy Central UK Comedy Central is a British pay television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and broadcast syndication, syndicated. This channel is specific to audiences within the United Kingdom and Ireland. The channel is aligned with ...
launched ''KSI: Demolished'', a five-episode comedy roast web series in which British comedians such as Kojo, Michelle de Swarte, Bobby Mair, and Alex Lowe, take turns to roast KSI. In August 2014, KSI was the fourth most popular personality among U.S. teenagers, according to a survey done by ''Variety''. On 18 August 2014, KSI teamed up with
Endemol Endemol B.V. (stylized in all lowercase) was a Dutch-based media company that produced and distributed multiplatform entertainment content. The company annually produced more than 15,000 hours of programming across scripted and non-scripted gen ...
for a new sports show called ''Rule'm Sports.'' In October 2014, KSI signed with MLG.tv, a streaming media service focused on gaming and esports, as part of the roster of live streamers. In September 2015, KSI was ranked 15th on ''
Business Insider ''Business Insider'' (stylized in all caps: BUSINESS INSIDER; known from 2021 to 2023 as INSIDER) is a New York City–based multinational financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Inside ...
's'' list of "The 15 most popular YouTubers in the world". A year later in November 2016, he was ranked first on ''Business Insider's'' list of "The 19 biggest British YouTube stars". On 4 August 2017, KSI
tweeted A tweet (officially known as a post since 2023) is a short status update on the social networking site Twitter (officially known as X since 2023) which can include images, videos, GIFs, straw polls, hashtags, mentions, and hyperlinks. Around ...
that he would be leaving the Sidemen, citing conflicts with fellow member, Ethan Payne. Shortly thereafter, he released a number of
diss track A diss track, diss record or diss song (an abbreviation of ''disrespect'' or ''disparage'') is a song whose primary purpose is to verbally attack someone else, usually another artist. Diss tracks are often the result of an existing, escalating feu ...
videos criticising members of his then-former group, to which most of the members responded back with their own. Later that month, KSI released a video in which he claimed that he was being
deported Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people by a state from its Sovereignty, sovereign territory. The actual definition changes depending on the place and context, and it also changes over time. A person who has been deported or ...
from the United States for receiving an incorrect visa. In November 2017, KSI released a video discussing whether his supposed falling out with the Sidemen was real or fake, saying, "
he drama He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...
wasn't entirely real but wasn't entirely fake either." In 2019, he was ranked second by ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'' in its list of the top 100 UK influencers. In 2020, ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' named KSI to be Britain's biggest influencer. In April 2021, he was listed among ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' 30 Under 30 Europe 2021 Entertainment list. In September 2023, ''Forbes'' ranked KSI as the second top creator of 2023, earning an estimated $24 million. In July 2024, KSI appeared in a YouTube video challenge by American YouTuber
MrBeast James Stephen "Jimmy" Donaldson (born May 7, 1998), commonly known by his online alias MrBeast, is an American YouTuber, media personality, and businessman. His YouTube videos, where he often hosts elaborate challenges and philanthropic effor ...
titled " 50 YouTubers Fight for $1,000,000".


Music career


2015–2016: Early releases

Having written and produced comedy–rap songs for his YouTube channel in 2011, KSI released his debut single, "
Lamborghini Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. ( , ), usually referred to as Lamborghini or colloquially Lambo, is an Italian manufacturer of luxury sports cars and SUVs based in Sant'Agata Bolognese. The company is owned by the Volkswagen Group through its su ...
", featuring British grime MC
P Money Paris Joel Moore-Williams (born 8 April 1989), better known by his stage name P Money, is a British grime MC, rapper and songwriter from New Cross, South East London, who is also active in the drum and bass scene. He is best known for his li ...
, on 23 March 2015, with
Dcypha Productions Dcypha Productions (sometimes credited as Dcypha Records or simply just Dcypha) is a UK-based production group founded by Sway and established under Akon's Konvict Records. Background Sway established Dcypha Productions, in 2004, to enable ...
. The song charted at number 30 on the UK Singles Chart, and It dropped to number 68 and number 96 over the following two weeks, before dropping out of the top 100. " Keep Up", the title song for KSI's debut extended play of the same name, featuring Jme, was released on 13 November 2015, reaching number 45 on the UK Singles Chart. The full EP was released on 8 January 2016, through Island Records, debuting at number 13 on the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
and number one on the UK R&B Albums Chart. On 29 April 2016, KSI released "Goes Off", featuring
Mista Silva Papa Kwame Amponsa, known by his stage name Mista Silva, is a British-Ghanaian musician from Brockley, London with origins from West Africa Ghana. Mista Silva released his debut EP, ''Full Vim'', in 2012. Its success led to a record single deal ...
, as the first single from his second EP titled ''Jump Around''. The EP's second single, " Friends with Benefits", featuring MNDM, was released on 29 July 2016, reaching number 69 on the UK Singles Chart. The full EP was released on 28 October 2016 through Island Records. One of the EP's songs, "Touch Down", featuring rapper and singer
Stefflon Don Stephanie Victoria Allen (born 14 December 1991), known professionally as Stefflon Don, is an English rapper. She rose to fame with her 2017 single "Hurtin' Me" (featuring French Montana), which peaked at number seven on the UK singles chart, ...
, appeared on the soundtrack of the 2017 film ''Baywatch''.


2017–2019: Independent releases

On 23 June 2017, KSI independently released " Creature", which reached number 100 on the UK Singles Chart. "Creature" was the first single from KSI's third EP, ''
Space Space is a three-dimensional continuum containing positions and directions. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions. Modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless ...
,'' which was released independently on 30 June 2017. On 6 October that year, KSI released his fourth EP, ''Disstracktions,'' which includes
diss tracks A diss track, diss record or diss song (an abbreviation of ''disrespect'' or ''disparage'') is a song whose primary purpose is to verbally attack someone else, usually another artist. Diss tracks are often the result of an existing, escalating feu ...
against fellow Sidemen members W2S and Behzinga. The EP reached number 31 on the UK Albums Chart and number one on the UK R&B Albums Chart. One week before its release, KSI announced that the EP would be his "final release" with Island Records and that he would be releasing music independently. On 2 February 2018, KSI released " Uncontrollable", featuring Big Zuu. The song played during KSI's ring walk for his boxing fight against Joe Weller and charted at number 89 on the UK Singles Chart. KSI released "
On Point ''On Point'' is a radio show produced by WBUR-FM in Boston, Massachusetts, and syndicated by American Public Media (APM). The show addresses a wide range of issues from news, politics, arts and culture, health, technology, environmental, and bu ...
" on 17 August 2018, which was played during his ring walk for his second boxing bout. On 12 April 2019, KSI released a collaborative album with Randolph titled ''New Age''. It debuted at number 17 on the UK Albums Chart and at number one on the UK R&B Albums Chart.


2019–2020: New record label signing and ''Dissimulation''

On 4 November 2019, it was announced that KSI had signed with
RBC Records RBC Records is an American online independent record label and management company founded by partners Brian Shafton and Bob Grossi. It provides artists and independent labels with a full-service "virtual label" alternative to signing with a major ...
and BMG to "take ismusic to the next level" and "further develop his music career in the US and internationally". In addition to managing KSI's future releases, it was confirmed that the label would be administering and reissuing KSI's independent catalogue recordings. That day, it was confirmed that KSI had already started recording his debut
studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
. On 8 November 2019, " Down Like That", featuring
Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. An influential figure in modern Hip-hop, hip hop music, Rick Ross has become known for his "Wiktionary:booming, booming" vocal perfor ...
,
Lil Baby Dominique Armani Jones (born December 3, 1994), known professionally as Lil Baby, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to prominence following the release of his 2017 mixtapes ''Harder than Hard'' and ''Too Hard'' — the for ...
and S-X, was released as the album's
lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...
. It was performed live by the three featured artists as KSI's
entrance music The use of music at sporting events is a practice that is thousands of years old, but has recently had a resurgence as a noted phenomenon. Some sports have specific traditions with respect to pieces of music played at particular intervals. Others ...
for his boxing rematch against
Logan Paul Logan Alexander Paul (born April 1, 1995) is an American influencer, professional wrestler, Entrepreneurship, entrepreneur, boxing, boxer, and actor. He has over 23 million subscribers on his YouTube channel ''Logan Paul Vlogs'' and has ranked ...
. The song peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart and it has been
certified Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestatio ...
silver by the
British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...
(BPI) for sales of 200,000 units in the country. On 15 December KSI, Miniminter, TBJZL, and
Zerkaa Joshua Bradley (born 4 September 1992), better known as Zerkaa and his stage name Josh Zerker, is an English YouTuber, streamer, influencer, and Internet personality, as a member of the British YouTube group known as the Sidemen. In 2019 he w ...
released a Christmas themed single titled "The Gift" under the
Sidemen The Sidemen is a British collective consisting of YouTubers, influencers and internet personalities KSI, Miniminter, Zerkaa, TBJZL, Behzinga, Vikkstar123, and W2S. The group produce videos of various challenges, sketches, and video game c ...
banner featuring S-X which charted at number 77 in the UK. A further three
singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...
preceded the album: " Wake Up Call", featuring
Trippie Redd Michael Lamar White IV (born June 18, 1999), known professionally as Trippie Redd, is an American rapper and singer. Born and raised in Canton, Ohio, he has contributed to the progression of emo rap and rage, a subgenre of trap music. His de ...
, which debuted at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart; " Poppin", featuring
Lil Pump Gazzy Fabio Garcia (born August 17, 2000), known professionally as Lil Pump, is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as part of the SoundCloud rap scene in the late 2010s, gaining distinction for his minimalist music and rambunctious pu ...
and
Smokepurpp Omar Jeffery Pineiro (born May 15, 1997), known professionally as Smokepurpp, is an American rapper. He first became known in the SoundCloud rap scene for his 2017 single "Audi (song), Audi", which received RIAA certification, platinum certificat ...
, which charted at number 43 in the UK; and "
Houdini Erik Weisz (March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926), known professionally as Harry Houdini ( ), was a Hungarian-American escapologist, illusionist, and stunt performer noted for his escape acts. Houdini first attracted notice in vaudeville in ...
", featuring
Swarmz Brandon Montel Scott (born 11 September 1996), known professionally as Swarmz, is an English rapper and crossover boxer. He released his breakout single "Lyca" in 2018 which lead him to sign with Virgin Records. He was featured on "Houdini" w ...
and
Tion Wayne Dennis Junior Odunwo (born 1 September 1993), known professionally as Tion Wayne, is a British rapper and DJ from Edmonton, North London. He appeared on three top-10 singles on UK Singles Chart as a guest – NSG's " Options", "Keisha & Becky ...
, which debuted at number six on the UK Singles Chart and received a silver certification from the BPI. KSI's debut studio album, titled '' Dissimulation'', was released on 22 May 2020. The album debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart and further charted in 15 other countries. It was the UK's best-selling debut album by a British artist in 2020 and it has been certified gold by the BPI for sales of 100,000 units in the country. The album spawned two further UK top 40 singles, "
Cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...
", featuring Offset, and " Killa Killa", featuring Aiyana-Lee. KSI was scheduled to perform at
Parklife ''Parklife'' is the third studio album by the English rock band Blur, released on 25 April 1994, by Food Records. After moderate sales for their previous album '' Modern Life Is Rubbish'' (1993), ''Parklife'' returned Blur to prominence in ...
,
Longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east- west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek lett ...
and Reading and Leeds music festivals in 2020 to promote ''Dissimulation'', but these were later cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. KSI featured on "
Lighter A lighter is a portable device which uses mechanical or electrical means to create a controlled flame, and can be used to ignite a variety of flammable items, such as cigarettes, butane gas, fireworks, candles, or campfires. A lighter typic ...
" by British DJ and record producer Nathan Dawe. The song peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart and became one of the UK's best-selling songs of 2020. It has been certified platinum by the BPI for sales of 600,000 units in the UK and it was nominated for Best British Single at the 2021 BRIT Awards. KSI also featured on "
Loose Loose may refer to: Places * Loose, Germany * Loose, Kent, a parish and village in southeast England People * Loose (surname) Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums * ''Loose'' (B'z album), a 1995 album by B'z * ''Loose'' (Crazy Horse album ...
" by Zimbabwean-British artist S1mba, which peaked at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart.


2020–present: ''All Over the Place'' and new releases

On 23 October 2020, KSI released the first single from his second album, " Really Love" featuring
Craig David Craig Ashley David (born 5 May 1981) is an English singer. He rose to fame in 1999, featuring on the single " Re-Rewind" by Artful Dodger. David's debut studio album, '' Born to Do It'', was released in 2000, to great commercial success. In to ...
and
Digital Farm Animals Nick Gale, known professionally as Digital Farm Animals, is an English DJ and record producer known for wearing an electronic pig helmet. He has featured on and co-written numerous tracks that have reached the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart, ...
, which peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart and has been certified gold by the BPI. On 15 January 2021, KSI released the album's second single, "
Don't Play "Don't Play" is a song by English musicians Anne-Marie, KSI, and Digital Farm Animals. It was written alongside Andrew Murray, S-X, Richard Boardman of the disbanded Delphic, Pablo Bowman, and Mojam, who produced it with Digital Farm Anima ...
" with
Anne-Marie Anne-Marie Rose Nicholson (born 7 April 1991) is an English singer and songwriter. She has attained various charting singles on the UK Singles Chart, including Clean Bandit's " Rockabye", which peaked at number one, as well as "Alarm", " Ciao ...
and Digital Farm Animals. The song debuted at number two on the UK Singles Chart, becoming KSI's highest-charting single in the UK to date, and has been certified platinum by the BPI. On 12 March 2021, KSI released the album's third single, "
Patience or forbearance, is the ability to endure difficult or undesired long-term circumstances. Patience involves perseverance or tolerance in the face of delay, provocation, or stress without responding negatively, such as reacting with disrespect ...
" featuring
Yungblud Dominic Richard Harrison (born 5 August 1997), known professionally as Yungblud, is an English singer, songwriter and actor. In 2018, he released his debut EP ''Yungblud'', followed by his first full-length album ''21st Century Liability''. In ...
and
Polo G Taurus Tremani Bartlett (born January 6, 1999), known professionally as Polo G, is an American rapper. He rose to prominence with his singles " Finer Things" and " Pop Out" (featuring Lil Tjay). His debut album '' Die a Legend'' (2019) peaked a ...
, which debuted at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart and has been certified silver by the BPI. On 26 April 2021, KSI announced via his social media the release of his second album '' All Over the Place'', which was released on 16 July that year. It debuted at number 1 on the UK Album Charts, giving KSI his first-ever chart-topper, and has been certified gold by the BPI for surpassing 100,000 sales in the country. On 18 June 2021, KSI released the album's fourth single, "
Holiday A holiday is a day or other period of time set aside for festivals or recreation. ''Public holidays'' are set by public authorities and vary by state or region. Religious holidays are set by religious organisations for their members and are often ...
", which was only featured on the platinum edition of the album. The song debuted at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart, making it KSI's highest-charting solo single to date. On 6 August 2021, KSI released the album's fifth single, " Lose" with American rapper
Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. He is often regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, as well as one of the greatest rappers of all ...
, and was the lead single for the deluxe edition of the album, which was released on 27 August. The single peaked at number 18 on the UK Singles Chart and also debuted at number 86 on the ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''
Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...
, becoming KSI's first ever single to enter that chart. On 6 May 2022, KSI featured on " Locked Out" by S-X. The single is S-X's third single for his debut album. "Locked Out" became S-X's first single to chart in the UK Official Charts which peaked at number 53. On 30 May, it was announced that KSI had signed with
Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...
and
Warner Music UK Warner Music Group (WMG) owns, has a joint share, or is associated with the record labels listed here. Flagship labels *Atlantic Records *Elektra Records *Parlophone Records *Warner Records Atlantic Music Group * 1st & 15th Entertainment * A ...
"following his huge collaboration with Anne-Marie on Don't Play". On 5 August, KSI released " Not Over Yet" featuring
Tom Grennan Thomas Grennan (born 8 June 1995) is an English singer and songwriter from Bedford. Grennan found fame as the guest vocalist on Chase & Status's "All Goes Wrong" in 2016. His debut album, ''Lighting Matches'', was released in July 2018. The a ...
. "Not Over Yet" charted at number four on the UK Single Charts, and debuted at number one on The Official Big Top 40. The single marked the first record under Atlantic Records. A remix featuring
Headie One Irving Ampofo Adjei (born 6 October 1994), known professionally as Headie One (formerly Headz), is a British rapper and singer. In 2018 he released his second solo mixtape, titled ''The One'', which included the single "Know Better" featuring ...
and Nines released on 28 August and served as KSI's ring walk tune in his bout against Luis Alcaraz Pineda on 27 August. On 30 September, KSI released " Summer Is Over." On 5 December, KSI, TBJZL, and
Vikkstar123 Vikram Singh Barn (born 2 August 1995), better known as Vikkstar123 or simply Vikkstar, is an English influencer. He is a member of the YouTube group the Sidemen. Barn's YouTube career started in 2010, primarily focusing Call of Duty: Modern W ...
released a Christmas-themed single titled " Christmas Drillings" under the Sidemen banner featuring Jme, which charted at number 3 in the UK. On 27 January 2023, KSI released "
Voices Voices or The Voices may refer to: Film and television * ''Voices'' (1920 film), by Chester M. De Vonde, with Diana Allen * ''Voices'' (1973 film), a British horror film * ''Voices'' (1979 film), a film by Robert Markowitz * ''Voices'' (1 ...
" featuring
Oliver Tree Oliver Tree Nickell (born June 29, 1993) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and filmmaker. Born in Santa Cruz, California, Tree signed to Atlantic Records in 2017 after his song "When I'm Down" went viral and released his debut st ...
. On 13 May, KSI released " Easy" with Bugzy Malone and R3HAB which served as KSI's ring walk tune in his bout against
Joe Fournier Joe Fournier (born 23 January 1983) is a British businessman and professional boxer. He started a fitness business, before selling it and then subsequently moved into the nightclub industry. He had an exhibition fight with David Haye on 11 Sept ...
on the same night. On 31 August 2024, KSI performed a two-part concert at MF & DAZN: X Series 17, in which he previewed two unreleased singles, "Low" and " Thick of It" , featuring Trippie Redd. On 3 October, KSI released both songs as a double-single release, the latter of which was subjected to negative reception and mockery. On 19 November, KSI received BRIT Billion Award for amassing over one billion music streams in the UK. On 13 December, KSI released his third single of the year, "Dirty", which had previously been leaked in July 2024. The song received a positive reception following the negative response to "Thick of It". On 23 January 2025, "Thick of It" was nominated for Song of the Year at The BRIT Awards 2025. On 30 May, KSI released another double-single with "Catch Me If You Can" and "So Far Away," the latter featuring S-X which had previously leaked in July 2024 alongside "Dirty."


Boxing career


Starting influencer boxing against Joe Weller

Supposed hostilities between KSI and British YouTuber Joe Weller began towards the end of 2017. Following public disagreements on Twitter and diss-tracks between the pair, they announced that they would host an amateur boxing match on 3 February 2018 at
Copper Box Arena The Copper Box Arena is a multi-sport venue built for the 2012 Summer Olympics, located in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, England. Previously known as the Handball Arena, it was renamed because, aside from Handball at the 2012 Summ ...
, London, to settle the feud. During the announcement, the pair confronted each other, with KSI mocking Weller's struggles with depression and his use of
antidepressant Antidepressants are a class of medications used to treat major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, chronic pain, and addiction. Common side effects of antidepressants include Xerostomia, dry mouth, weight gain, dizziness, headaches, akathi ...
s for which he later apologised. The fight was won by KSI 1 minute and 37 seconds into the third round by way of technical knockout. KSI expressed his respect for Weller after the fight for being "way harder, way tougher than I thought," and praised him for his commitment to raising awareness for mental health, before calling out American YouTuber
Logan Paul Logan Alexander Paul (born April 1, 1995) is an American influencer, professional wrestler, Entrepreneurship, entrepreneur, boxing, boxer, and actor. He has over 23 million subscribers on his YouTube channel ''Logan Paul Vlogs'' and has ranked ...
, his brother Jake Paul, and retired footballer Rio Ferdinand.


Two bouts against Logan Paul

On 24 February 2018, it was announced that KSI would be fighting Logan Paul in a white-collar boxing amateur boxing match. The fight ended as a majority draw, with two judges scoring the fight even at 57–57 and a third judge scoring 58–57 in favour of KSI. A KSI vs. Logan Paul II, rematch between KSI and Paul was held on 9 November 2019 at the Staples Center, Los Angeles, and was promoted by Eddie Hearn. Unlike the first fight, the rematch was a professional boxing, professional fight without the use of headgear. KSI was trained by professional boxers Viddal Riley and Jeff Mayweather, uncle of Floyd Mayweather Jr. KSI defeated Paul via
split decision A split decision (SD) is a winning criterion in boxing, most commonly in full-contact combat sports, in which two of the three judges score one particular competitor as the winner, while the third judge scores for the other competitor. A split de ...
, with two judges scoring the bout 56–55 and 57–54 in favour of KSI, and a third judge scoring the fight 56–55 in favour of Paul.


Return after hiatus


KSI vs Swarmz & Pineda

On 1 July 2022, it was announced that KSI vs Alex Wassabi was scheduled to take place on as the headliner to KSI vs Swarmz & Luis Alcaraz Pineda, MF & DAZN: X Series 001 27 August 2022; however, due to a major concussion, it was announced on 6 August that
Swarmz Brandon Montel Scott (born 11 September 1996), known professionally as Swarmz, is an English rapper and crossover boxer. He released his breakout single "Lyca" in 2018 which lead him to sign with Virgin Records. He was featured on "Houdini" w ...
would be Wassabi's replacement. This marked the first event under KSI's promotion company Misfits Boxing. On 16 August, it was announced that KSI will be facing a second opponent, thus billing the event "2 Fights 1 Night." His initial second fight was scheduled to be against the Bulgarian boxer Ivan Nikolov, who was pulled from the fight due to Nikolov having multiple White supremacy, white supremacist and Neo-Nazism, Neo-Nazi tattoos. On 20 August, the Mexican professional boxer Luis Alcaraz Pineda was announced as KSI's second opponent on 27 August. KSI defeated Swarmz via 2nd round Knockout, KO and won the vacant MFB cruiserweight title. KSI then defeated Alcaraz Pineda via 3rd round KO and retained his MFB cruiserweight title.


KSI vs Temperrr

On Deen the Great vs. Walid Sharks, 19 November, it was announced that KSI would face Dillon Danis as the headliner of KSI vs FaZe Temperrr, MF & DAZN: X Series 004 on 14 January 2023, at Wembley Arena, London, England. However, on 4 January, Danis withdrew due to lack of preparation, a lack of a coach, and issues with the contracted weight. It was announced that KSI would defend his MF cruiserweight title against Brazilian YouTuber and FaZe Clan founder FaZe Temperrr, replacing Danis within a weeks notice. KSI defeated Temperrr via 1st round KO and retained his MFB cruiserweight title.


KSI vs Fournier

On 22 March, it was announced that KSI would face BusinessMan, businessman and professional boxer
Joe Fournier Joe Fournier (born 23 January 1983) is a British businessman and professional boxer. He started a fitness business, before selling it and then subsequently moved into the nightclub industry. He had an exhibition fight with David Haye on 11 Sept ...
as the headliner of KSI vs Joe Fournier, MF & DAZN: X Series 007 on 13 May at Wembley Arena in London, England. KSI originally defeated Fournier via 2nd round KO and retained his MFB cruiserweight title; however, controversy arose after replays showed KSI landing an illegal elbow strike during the finishing sequence. On 15 May, Fournier appealed the decision, and the Professional Boxing Association (PBA) called for both fighters to make their cases, and a decision will be made by 19 May at the latest. On 19 May, the PBA officially ruled the bout a No contest (combat sports), no-contest.


First defeat against Tommy Fury

On 28 July, it was announced that KSI and Logan Paul would both headline KSI vs TBA, MF & DAZN: X Series 10 – The Prime Card on 14 October at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. On 30 July, it was announced that KSI would in fact be facing Tommy Fury. Fury defeated KSI via a majority decision. On 15 October, the results were changed to a
unanimous decision A unanimous decision (UD) is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and other sports involving striking and submission in which all three judges agree on which fighte ...
victory for Fury due to judge Rafael Ramos, who had previously scored the bout 57-57 on the scorecard, which was mathematically incorrect. The event generated 1,300,000 pay-per-view buys, making it one of the largest boxing events in 2023. After the bout had concluded, KSI lashed out at Fury and insisted that the result was a "robbery." Many online and attendees sided with KSI, beveling that he did enough to win the fight, including English sports promoter Eddie Hearn, who was in attendance. On 19 October, KSI submitted an appeal to the Professional Boxing Association (PBA). On 1 December, the PBA announced on Twitter that they had rejected the appeal, stating there were "no grounds" to overturn the result. Despite the result, KSI's manager Mams Taylor stated that the appeal is still ongoing and that they are moving into the second of three possible stages.


Cancelled outnumbered bout

On 2 June 2024, KSI confirmed on Twitter that he would return to the ring in August after a 10-month break from the Fury loss in October of last year. Reports began to state that KSI was in negotiations to face former Undisputed championship (boxing), unified Light-welterweight, light welterweight champion Amir Khan (boxer), Amir Khan. On 4 June, Khan confirmed the negotiations. However, on 8 June KSI confirmed in a YouTube video that Khan will not be his opponent but potentially for later in the year. In that video, KSI also confirmed he will be fighting on 31 August 2024, in Dublin, Ireland, and challenged American internet personality Slim Albaher and American mixed martial artist Anthony Taylor to a 2 vs. 1 2-on-1 handicap match, outnumbered tag team match. On 30 June 2024, the bout between KSI, Albaher and Taylor was confirmed. However, fans began to speculate if the bout had been cancelled following KSI deleting the bout announcement across his social media. On 1 August, KSI confirmed his withdrawal in a Twitter post due to an injury sustained.


Second cancelled bout against Dillon Danis

During the broadcast of Danny Aarons vs Danny Simpson, X Series 17, KSI stated he was eyeing to return in early 2025. On 3 January 2025, Misfits Boxing announced that his return would be announced during the broadcast of Darren Till vs Anthony Taylor, X Series 20 on 18 January. News broke hours before the announcement that former England FC, England and Premier League winning left-back Wayne Bridge is being lined up to face KSI for 29 March. On the night, KSI came into the ring and revealed his original opponent withdrew, leading into a face off with Bridge. On the night, KSI came into the ring and revealed his original opponent withdrew, leading into a face off with Bridge. The pair got into a brawl after KSI pushed Bridge and brought up John Terry and Bridge's former girlfriend Vanessa Perroncel. However, two days later Bridge withdrew from the bout due to the comments made by KSI about Perroncel. On 4 February, it was announced that American Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist Dillon Danis—who KSI was originally scheduled to face at X Series 004—would replace Bridge and headlined KSI vs Dillon Danis, X Series 21 – Unfinished Business at Manchester Arena in Manchester. On 21 March, it was announced that the fight will be postponed due to KSI suffering from an illness. On 4 April, Misfits Boxing co-president Mams Taylor confirmed on X (formerly known as Twitter), X that Idris Virgo vs Ty Mitchell, X Series 22 – Blinders & Brawls was moved from April 12 to May 16, and will be their next event, confirming that X Series 21 – Unfinished Business was no longer happening.


Other ventures


Film and television career

In 2016, KSI and Caspar Lee starred in the British
direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strat ...
Comedy film, comedy film '' Laid in America.'' The film was written and directed by Sam Milman and Peter Vass and was produced by The Fun Group LLC and Max Gottlieb. The film was released direct-to-video by Universal Pictures on 26 September 2016. Jason Best of ''Movie Talk'' gave the film 1 out of 5 and called it "Crass and witless." In 2018, KSI released a documentary film titled ''KSI: Can't Lose''. The film reveals the behind-the-scenes story of what led KSI to become the YouTube champion of the world after his boxing debut fight against fellow YouTube star Joe Weller and how KSI will use what he learned to fight
Logan Paul Logan Alexander Paul (born April 1, 1995) is an American influencer, professional wrestler, Entrepreneurship, entrepreneur, boxing, boxer, and actor. He has over 23 million subscribers on his YouTube channel ''Logan Paul Vlogs'' and has ranked ...
. The film was produced by fellow YouTuber Callux's film studio, After Party Studios, and was distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. KSI makes a brief appearance in the List of Amazon Prime Video original programming, Amazon Original sports docuseries ''All or Nothing: Arsenal'', which documented the club by spending time with the coaching staff and players behind the scenes both on and off the field throughout their 2021–22 Arsenal F.C. season, 2021–22 season. In 2023, KSI released a documentary called ''KSI: In Real Life,'' produced by
Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...
and Louis Theroux, focusing on KSI's life and career. Theroux stated that it would be "an opportunity to see another side of JJ, understanding how he got where he is, the world of a premium online content creator today, and a man who has made it his brand never to lose, as he takes on the music business." In February 2025, KSI appeared as a guest judge on Britain's Got Talent, ''Britain's Got Talent'' Britain's Got Talent series 18, series 18 on ITV1 with Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon, and Amanda Holden.


Business ventures

KSI and the
Sidemen The Sidemen is a British collective consisting of YouTubers, influencers and internet personalities KSI, Miniminter, Zerkaa, TBJZL, Behzinga, Vikkstar123, and W2S. The group produce videos of various challenges, sketches, and video game c ...
have founded multiple businesses throughout their online careers. In 2014 the group launched a clothing brand under the Sidemen Clothing banner. In November 2021, they founded a Restaurant, restaurant chain known as Sides in collaboration with Reef. In October 2022, they launched their own vodka brand known as XIX Vodka. in March 2024, they launched a breakfast cereal brand known as Best Cereal in collaboration with Mornflake. In February 2021, KSI announced on Twitter the creation of his own record label named "The Online Takeover" in partnership with his music manager Mams Taylor. Shortly after, he announced the first signee of his label, which was American-British singer Aiyana-Lee, who featured on the track " Killa Killa". On 13 May, KSI announced that he and Proper Loud have signed Yxng Dave to The Online Takeover, marking him the second artist to be signed to the label. In June 2021, KSI announced that he and Wasserman (company), Wasserman Boxing had partnered up to launch a boxing promotional company called 'Misfits Boxing'. The first event was scheduled to take place on 27 August 2022, with KSI also set to make his boxing return as the main event. A series of other boxing events titled "MF & DAZN: X Series" in collaboration with DAZN, who were the distributors for KSI's previous rematch against Logan Paul, was announced, along with events to follow, marking the KSI vs
Swarmz Brandon Montel Scott (born 11 September 1996), known professionally as Swarmz, is an English rapper and crossover boxer. He released his breakout single "Lyca" in 2018 which lead him to sign with Virgin Records. He was featured on "Houdini" w ...
and Luis Alcaraz Pineda event as KSI vs Swarmz & Luis Alcaraz Pineda, MF & DAZN: X Series 001. On 10 January 2023, it was announced that Misfits Boxing and DAZN had signed a 5-year deal to continue distribute events with two pay-per-view each year. In January 2022, KSI founded a drinks company known as Prime (drink), Prime alongside his former rival Logan Paul. Prime is a range of sports drinks, drink mixes, and energy drinks created and marketed by Prime Hydration, LLC. In September 2024, KSI, Paul, and
MrBeast James Stephen "Jimmy" Donaldson (born May 7, 1998), commonly known by his online alias MrBeast, is an American YouTuber, media personality, and businessman. His YouTube videos, where he often hosts elaborate challenges and philanthropic effor ...
founded a kids lunch kit company known as
Lunchly Lunchly (stylized in all caps) is an American brand of snack kits created and marketed by Lunchly LLC. The brand is promoted and founded as a joint venture between internet personalities Olajide "KSI" Olatunji, Logan Paul, and Jimmy "MrBeast" ...
– a joint venture between Prime and Feastables. It contains Prime, has Feastables chocolate and each one has a unique food. There are 3 kits: pizza, fiesta nachos, and turkey stack 'ems. They are all inspired by Lunchables. In November 2024, it was announced that KSI would be the president of Baller League UK, a six-a-side football league.


Video games

In 2016, KSI teamed up with Endemol Shine Group to publish ''KSI Unleashed'', a video game that launched on iOS and Android (operating system), Android systems. KSI poked jabs at fellow YouTuber PewDiePie, claiming that "why would I make anyone have to spend money to buy my mobile app game." referring to the fact that ''PewDiePie: Legend of the Brofist'' was not a free application. ''KSI Unleashed'' was removed from the Google Play Store and App Store (iOS/iPadOS), App Store on an unknown date. In 2018, KSI took part in the promotional efforts for ''EA Sports UFC 3'' by training alongside former Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC middleweight world champion Michael Bisping. In August 2021, KSI teamed up with ''Roblox'' and hosted a virtual album launch party inside the game.


Writing

In 2015, KSI published an autobiography titled ''KSI: I Am a Bellend''. The book was released on 24 September 2015, in the UK and five days later in the United States, and KSI toured to support the book from its release until 4 October 2015. On 18 October 2016, KSI and the Sidemen released a book titled ''Sidemen: The Book'', published by Coronet Books, and embarked on a UK-wide promotional tour. A number one best-seller in the UK, the book sold 26,436 copies within its first three days release.


Wrestling

On 1 April 2023, KSI appeared at WWE's flagship event, WrestleMania 39, during the match between Logan Paul and Seth "Freakin" Rollins. He accompanied Paul during his entrance wearing a Prime Bottle costume and interfered in the match, but was frog splashed by Paul after Rollins quickly switched himself with KSI. On 8 March 2024, KSI made another appearance on WWE SmackDown, SmackDown with Paul to celebrate Prime's partnership with WWE; however, they would be interrupted by Randy Orton, who would hit KSI with an Cutter (professional wrestling)#Jumping cutter, RKO.


Personal life

KSI is a supporter of Arsenal F.C. In his "Googling Myself" video, KSI revealed that he is agnostic. In March 2021, KSI faced criticism for misgendering a Transgender, trans person and using a Transphobia, transphobic slur in a
Sidemen The Sidemen is a British collective consisting of YouTubers, influencers and internet personalities KSI, Miniminter, Zerkaa, TBJZL, Behzinga, Vikkstar123, and W2S. The group produce videos of various challenges, sketches, and video game c ...
video. He later apologised, claiming not to have known that the word was offensive. In April 2023, KSI used the racial slur "''Paki (slur), Paki'' " in a Sidemen video parodying the British game show ''Countdown (game show), Countdown''. He later apologised on Twitter and announced he was taking a break from social media. The video has since been removed. He then visited the Al-Hikam Institute, a mosque in Bradford, to "educate himself", where he apologised again for the hurt and disappointment he had caused.


Income and wealth

In 2015, KSI's earnings were estimated by ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' as being over $4.5 million, ranking him as the fifth-highest-paid YouTuber in the world at the time. In 2018, ''Esquire (magazine), Esquire'' magazine reported that, according to Social Blade, KSI can make up to £250,000 in advertising revenue from one video and that product endorsements on his social media cost around £75,000. Heavy.com, Heavy reported in the same year that KSI was the director of three UK companies with equity totalling £1.7 million ($2.2 million). ''
Business Insider ''Business Insider'' (stylized in all caps: BUSINESS INSIDER; known from 2021 to 2023 as INSIDER) is a New York City–based multinational financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Inside ...
'' reported that KSI's amateur boxing match versus Logan Paul in 2018 generated around £8.5 million ($11 million) from pay-per-view revenue alone and a further live gate revenue of over £2.7 million () from ticket sales. Some estimates calculated the potential earnings from the fight at £30million to £40million each, but KSI dismissed these claims, stating that his earnings were "a high amount" but "nowhere near £40million or £20million". ''Forbes'' reported that KSI was contracted to earn a minimum amount of $900,000 from his second fight against Logan Paul in 2019. In an interview with ''Men's Health'' in 2020, KSI confirmed that he owns over ten properties "all around England" with a combined worth of over £10 million. In 2020, ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'' estimated KSI's earnings to be £12 million a year; a year later, they believed that his estimated earnings had gone up by another £13 million. KSI has been open about his investments in cryptocurrency. He revealed that he had lost almost £6 million worth of cryptocurrency in 2021. He claims to be done with cryptocurrency following his losses. In July 2023, KSI invested in The Fellas Studios, a production company owned by YouTubers Callum "Calfreezy" Airey and Joshua "TheBurntChip" Larkin. It was also revealed that he had invested in notwoways, an East London sneaker brand owned by YouTuber Callum "Callux" McGinley. On 17 August 2024, KSI, along with the Sidemen, appeared and was ranked 21st on ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'''s list of "The UK’s top 30 richest gamers and creators in 2024", estimating £50 million in fortune shared among the group.


Charity

In 2015, KSI donated $10,000 to an online charity stream done by YouTuber Castro1021, and he participated in the Race Against Slime event, raising money for SpecialEffect, a foundation developing technology to aid people with physical disabilities to play video games. On 8 May 2020, KSI helped out at a food bank to support ''The Independent'''s Help the Hungry campaign. On 18 December 2020, KSI prepared meals to support the ''Evening Standard'''s Food for London Now campaign. KSI donated £10,000 to BBC Radio 1's "Lol-a-thon" fundraiser for Comic Relief on 11 March 2021. On 30 March 2021, it was announced that KSI had signed an open letter, written by Lenny Henry, to urge black British people to take the COVID-19 vaccine. On 15 December 2023, KSI faced American Livestreamer, streamer IShowSpeed in a charity boxing sparring match after a year-long banter rivalry. They managed to raise over £50,000 for the Anthony Walker Foundation. On 14 February 2025, KSI participated in "Match for Hope 2025", a football charity event hosted in Doha, Qatar, as a player and co-captain for team AboFlah & KSI, facing off against team Chunkz & IShowSpeed. The match ended with team AboFlah & KSI's 6-5 victory over team Chunkz & IShowSpeed. The event managed to raise more than $10.7 million for charity.


Boxing record


Professional


Amateur


Pay-per-view bouts


Filmography


Gameography


Discography

Studio albums * '' Dissimulation'' (2020) * '' All Over the Place'' (2021) Collaborative albums * ''New Age (KSI and Randolph album), New Age'' (2019)


Concert tours

* Jump Around Tour (2016) * The New Age Tour (2019) * All Over the Place (KSI album)#Tour, All Over The Place Tour (2021–2022)


Bibliography

* *


Awards and nominations


Listicles


Notes


References


External links

* * * * {{authority control KSI, 1993 births Living people 21st-century British rappers 21st-century English sportsmen Black British sportsmen Black British male rappers British music YouTubers British trap musicians British comedy YouTubers Boxers from London Cruiserweight boxers Drink company founders English-language YouTube channels English agnostics English company founders English entertainers English gaming YouTubers English male boxers English male film actors English male rappers 21st-century male rappers English male writers English people of Nigerian descent English people of Yoruba descent English pop musicians Male actors from London Male actors from Watford Misfits Boxing Musicians from Watford People educated at Berkhamsted School Pop rappers RBC Records artists RPM people Sidemen Charity Match players Sidemen Sportspeople from Watford UK garage musicians YouTube boxers YouTubers from Hertfordshire YouTubers from London