KSI: “I'm a guy that breaks ceilings"

Olajide Olayinka Williams “JJ” Olatunji is a household name now. You just know him by another: KSI.

He forged his own unique path to this status, starting out on YouTube years before anyone really understood how to use it. He built an empire from his bedroom, accumulating millions of subscribers from young viewers also in their bedrooms. But as he grew, so did his ambitions.

Hungry for mainstream success and the respect that came with it, he looked beyond the confines of YouTube. He tore up the rulebook as he entered both boxing and music, armed with a loyal fanbase and a refusal to take no for an answer

While boxing purists mocked him at first, his pay-per-view figures – against both fellow YouTubers and professional fighters – were impossible to ignore. He’s now the CEO of Misfits Boxing and co-owner of Prime Hydration, arguably the most talked-about drink on the internet. In short, he’s a master of the modern hustle.

KSI’s focus right now is back on his music. His track ‘Thick of It’ was nominated for a BRIT and has more than 110m YouTube views, and he performed his most recent single ‘Catch Me If You Can’ at the Britain’s Got Talent finale on ITV.

Our conversation spans his pursuit of cracking America, reflections on legacy and fatherhood but first, his rise in music…

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Square mile: It’s been 11 years since the release of the parody track and YouTube video for ‘Boris Bike’ – which spoofed the Meridian Dan, Big H and JME song, ‘German Whip’. You featured alongside fellow influencer David Vujanic, and JME co-signed it by jumping on for a verse too…

KSI: Yep, yep, honestly that whole thing was amazing.

SM: How do you think your approach to music has developed since then?

KSI: I still have that element of fun. But because I have such a large audience, I always try to hit different ears. I used to think, “What is my sound?” And then I just realised I’m able to be a person that can bounce around different genres, blend them together, make them work for me.

I feel like you’ve seen a progression of my music, and it’s been smooth. Well, I say smooth – I had a few ups and downs – but it’s been an uphill climb.

I’ve always just wanted to improve my music, improve my sound. Obviously, you get people trolling left, right and centre being like, ‘Oh, his music is ass,’ or ‘This is cringe.’ You’re gonna get negative comments all the time. I’m quite good at taking criticism or trolls or whatever because I’ve been on the internet for so long. I really don’t care too much. I know what my main goal is, and I’m always trying to aim towards that.

Photography by David Ellis | Styling by Vivian Nwonka | Grooming by Lauraine Bailey

SM: When you say that ‘you know what your main goal is’ – is it just as simple as trying to improve and get better at what it is you are already doing? You have previously said that you don’t see yourself as talented, per se, but that you’re more of a work-ethic person – which does make it harder for people to come at you…

KSI: Yeah, for me, my main goal has always been to improve on my previous. One time, I wasn’t able to get a number one album, so I wanted to make sure I was able to get a number one album. I’ve ticked that. I want to get a number one single next. I haven’t been able to do that yet, so it’s about trying to create music that could eventually, hopefully get to that level.

And with that also, I want to properly break America. I did a little bit with ‘Thick Of It’, but I want to try and do more, bring more music over there, and bring the worlds together. Because I’ve got so much going on with the whole boxing, and Sidemen, and YouTube, some people might see my music as being on the back burner, but I’m always working on music like it’s my baby. It’s been my passion. It’s just that other things have got in the way of it.

SM: Do you listen to your music on Spotify or Apple Music?

KSI: Spotify.

SM: Do you remember what your Spotify Wrapped was last year?

KSI: I can try and look for it… Would it be, like, the top five songs in 2024?

SM: Either the songs or the artists that you listen to, whichever one.

KSI: Obviously, it’s very different now, but I listened to a bit of Kanye – this was before the whole random shenanigans. But I’ve got ‘Carnival’ and then I’ve got ‘Thick Of It’. ‘Bécane’ by Yamê – he’s a French Cameroonian singer. ‘Her Old Friends’, PARTYNEXTDOOR. Then back to Kanye again – but then I’ve got ‘Hollows’ with CB and J Hus, and then ‘Entrepreneur’ by Central Cee, ‘Incredible Sauce’, Giggs and Dave, and ‘Not Like Us’ by Kendrick Lamar.

SM: You mentioned that you wanted to break America. You’ve worked a lot there, you’ve collaborated with people there, you’ve had beef with people over there. Why is America the goal for you?

KSI: Well, I’ve listened to so much American music, so it’s always just been one of my things where I’ve always just wanted to be part of the American atmosphere. I’m always flying to America. Whether it’s music-based, boxing-based, or just YouTube-based, I’m always doing stuff over there. I was on the projection of really breaking America and doing bits, and then the boxing kind of just took over.

And don’t get me wrong, it is what it is; I was able to create Misfits and build this amazing business, but it’s kind of like a thing where I still have unfinished business. Now it’s like, ‘Alright, cool, let me continue where I left off.’ First, I just want people to be familiar with me making music regularly again, and then when it’s time to be able to talk about what I really want to talk about, then I’ll release the album.

SM: In the press release that was sent over, at the bottom it says that you’re not just an entertainer, you’re “a visionary entrepreneur reshaping industries”. What do you think the impact of you going in and doing things the way you do has been in boxing, in music, in entertainment?

KSI: I’m a guy that breaks ceilings. In different industries, there’s always a ceiling. So there was a point in 2016/2017 where I felt like I’d reached the ceiling of YouTube. Like, I mean, you know, now we look and there’s no real ceiling. If anything, YouTube is the most viewed content in the world, way more than TV, way more than Netflix, way more than everything else. Everyone’s just watching YouTube. But at the time, I felt there was a lot of mainstream success that I wasn’t able to be a part of. Just being on YouTube alone didn’t allow me to branch out, so to prove myself I had to do well in other industries.

So with the music, I knew I had to take it way more seriously and show that, yes, I’m a YouTuber, but I can make great music and do very well. I have a YouTube audience that has given me the advantage over everyone else who doesn’t. I have people who are there, ready to look at and listen to and watch anything I’m prepared to do, no matter what – whether it’s me doing boxing or music. Not everyone has that. So that’s like my trump card. That gives me the edge.

So I knew for me, YouTube is the heart, the baby, the core, the thing I should never forget about, because without this, everything else dies. So I’m always keeping this pumping. But then I knew to get mainstream success, I had to be successful in music, and with the whole boxing side of things. I needed to really showcase that, boxing-wise, I can make noise.

Whether it’s me fighting Logan Paul or me fighting Tommy Fury, I showed that I can make high numbers pay-per-view-wise. And then with music, I knew I could get Top 10 singles and I could get number one albums. That is why I’m now a household name. Just doing YouTube, I would never become that household name.

YouTubers would once just be seen as content creators that make content on this random internet platform no one really cares about. It wasn’t regarded as professional or the highest standard. Whereas now there’s a respect for YouTubers, and people really gravitate towards that. It’s taken a while, but I people are starting to understand how influential YouTubers really are, and how influential we’ve been throughout the years.

I’ve been on YouTube for the longest time; I’ve seen YouTubers come and go. I’ve seen YouTubers denounce that they’re YouTubers, trying to get that mainstream success. Throughout, I’ve always said ‘I’m a YouTuber.’ I’m a YouTuber first because I am a person that has edited before. I’m a person that’s directed, I’ve produced, I’ve thought about ideas. I’ve done everything that all these other mainstream people do, but I do it all myself, and I create the content for millions of people to want to watch. So to be able to do that is way harder, and bigger, than some other mainstream things.

SM: What’s more important to you – legacy or money?

KSI: Oh, legacy.

SM: And in the end, what do you want your legacy to have been, in a nutshell?

KSI: I want people who look up to me or are influenced by me to know that I was a person who tried everything. I wasn’t afraid to fail. I wasn’t afraid to look bad or mess up. I was going to try something, and if I was good at it, I was going to get better at it, and better and better, to the point where I’m very good at it. And I feel like a lot of people are afraid to try new things because they’re afraid to look weird or look cringe.

We hear that word a lot, “cringe,” and it’s just because when you put yourself out there, it’s a scary thing, but you have to at least try to see if it’s what you want to do. Some people live their whole lives being in this box where it’s happy and safe, and they never really try to do anything. And then they get old and regret that. For me, my legacy is I tried until I succeeded.

SM: In terms of money, you make a lot of it. What do you think you spend the most money on in your life?

KSI: If you’re successful, money will come to you anyway. Even with the way I spend, I know, no matter what, in the end it’s gonna work out. Because attention is probably the most valuable thing of all, and that is what all these tech companies or big corporations want. Being able to have humans want to look at you is important – whether it’s them loving you or them hating you. Having an emotion towards you is so much more valuable than anything else, and because of that, money will be thrown at you just so they can get even a slice of that attention, so they can focus on their product and sell it.

But anyway, in terms of your question, what’s the craziest thing I’ve spent on? I mean, yeah, I spend money on PJs. Back in the day, I bought a Lamborghini…

SM: I guess the question is less about the craziest thing and more about the most consistent thing you drop money on. Is it on cars, art, houses?

KSI: No, it’s probably my own content. For example, if I needed to do a shoot, I would have to get, like, a PJ to go to the shoot, a cameraman, a director, I would need the photographer…

SM: Hold on – I know what a PJ is, but I genuinely interpreted that as pyjamas first time around. I haven’t had my coffee this morning – but yes, a private jet. Keep going…

KSI: [Laughs] Well, all of this – and then the whole crew – just in order for me to make the content, is, I guess, a business expense to make the best content I can. That is probably where most of the money goes. If it were up to me, I probably wouldn’t spend that much. I don’t go out that much at all. I’m not a person that goes clubbing. I don’t drink. So, like, you know, I haven’t drunk for, like, three-plus years. I don’t really enjoy going clubbing anymore. I can just go to a restaurant and eat with friends, and that be it.

SM: Do you enjoy travelling?

KSI: Yeah, I love travelling. Obviously, it depends where I’m going, but you know, if I’m going to a nice, sunny area – yeah, it’s fantastic. If I’m going to a very cold, dark place, then that’s not as great. But I can understand why I need to go there if it’s critical for making the content.

SM: So, do you ever go anywhere and just, like, not work?

KSI: Yeah, yeah. Of course, of course – yeah. So there are places I’d go if I want to, like, actually, you know, have a holiday, switch off: Santorini, Mykonos, Maldives, Mauritius. I went to Iceland at the beginning of the year, just to really switch off. And that was nice.

SM: Where’s your favourite place? If you had to think of a place where you felt most at peace, or inspired, or chilled away from work, where would that be?

KSI: I think it’s got to be the Maldives. I’ve been there quite a few times now. I mean, it’s a bitch to get there, because you have to get a plane, then another plane, and then you’ve got to get a seaplane, and then you might even need to get a boat to wherever you need to go. It’s a lot, travel-wise, but it’s worth it – especially when you’re there for, say, a week. Plus, you’re able to just sit back, relax, not even look at the phone, not even need the internet – just take in nature and all the sea.

SM: So, the antidote to what you do all the time. It must be so intense being so online and visible.

KSI: Yeah, it’s important to have holidays. And I keep telling my manager he needs a holiday, because it’s good to refresh the mind. And if anything, it boosts you for when you come back and you have this brand-new energy to want to do more and work harder – for you to be able to get that next holiday again. I always see it as my reward for working as hard as I have the previous month.

SM: On the work ethic thing, in your Amazon Prime documentary you spoke a lot about being the son of immigrants and the pressures you felt in that regard, as well as going to therapy and wanting to be able to speak to them. How do you feel since speaking about that? Was it a positive experience for you?

KSI: Yeah, I think it was really good that it all happened. The situation with me and my parents was quite weird. They were my parents, but we weren’t properly close. And obviously, since I’m the firstborn, I’m seen as the provider. I have to look after everyone. So there was always that pressure. After I had “provided” and everything, I wanted to actually get to know them and understand them, because we never really had that time to bond.

They were always working, and I was just going to school. And then when I wasn’t in school, I’d be doing homework, and then I’d eat and go to bed, and there was never, like, a sit-down between us. Whereas now we have time to be able to do that, which is just so valuable, and I’m able to just chill with them – and it be nice.

In terms of the whole process in general, I think it was great. A lot of people were influenced. I want to get rid of the stigma of therapy. I don’t want it to be this thing where people go, “You go to therapy because there’s something wrong with you.” It’s just good to speak and communicate. But I feel like a lot of times in this world, especially because of social media, we don’t actually talk physically to many people. It’s always us just speaking to a screen, or just looking at a camera.

It’s always good to have that physical interaction, because it’s just, as humans, what we need. Therapy was huge for me. It helped clear my mind. You know how you go to the gym to train your body – therapy is like training for the mind. It’s just great.

SM: It feels like you’re always on maximum optimisation. I’m really glad that you found something positive in it. So much in your life seems so intense – it makes me think a bit of elite footballers, who similarly have to optimise their time.

In your documentary, you had so much going on that your relationship couldn’t survive. But a lot of managers or coaches do encourage footballers to have families or partners – who they may well cheat on – but just to have something that’s going to…

KSI: Ground them.

SM: Yeah, exactly. And I wondered if that was something that you aspire to. I mean, you’re only 31, but do you feel like your ambition is always going to override the desire to put roots down?

KSI: No, I’ve always wanted a family. I’ve always wanted a wife and kids and everything that comes with that. Once I have kids, I’m going to slow down a bit in terms of what I do online.

I feel like it’s important to have a good, stable home, because you can have craziness outside – but as long as, when you come back home, it’s chill and it’s relaxing, and you can just be yourself and it’s easy – then that just makes things worth it.

SM: It still feels from your lyrics that you’re very much on the upward trajectory – “not fully formed,” giving it all to the machine and the monster and the ambition. Do you think that one day you’ll be able to level it out?

KSI: Yes – one day, I’ll be able to rein it back in, and reduce the speed on the treadmill, for sure.

SM: And I know this one’s a bit of a deep one, but I ask because you work so hard in this life – do you believe in life after death?

KSI: Oh, wow. So, I’m an agnostic. I’m not sure if there is a God or not, but if I’m being honest… I don’t really think anything happens after we die. I think it’s just weird to think about, but I think it’s just black forever – and that’s it.

But that’s kind of why I’m in this life that I have right now. I want to make the most of it, and that’s why I try so much stuff. I want to be the person that had a fruitful life. And then, when it’s all said and done, I can look back and go, ‘Yeah, you know what? I fucking smashed that. I can die happy now.’

SM: Thirty-one is still a young age, but when you look back now, what are the landmark things where you’re like, ‘These are the things that will endure’?

KSI: Being able to get rid of all my parents’ debt was a phenomenal moment, because I know how hard my parents have worked – like, they would do two jobs at certain points just to get me to private school, to give me the best opportunity. So it’s funny that I dropped out to do YouTube, but I repaid the favour to the point where they hardly have to work now. I’ve made sure that their life is easy.

Getting a million subscribers was a big thing for me. Beating Logan Paul was a big thing. Me creating Prime with him, and selling a billion bottles, was a huge thing. Getting the number one album. Getting top 10s over and over again. Sidemen having a show on Netflix was a big, monumental moment. The Sidemen charity matches – us raising money over and over again for all these charities, and having so many, so many viewers watching. Selling out within an hour or two. These are all pivotal, dope moments…

Even me doing Britain’s Got Talent was a big moment. Like, I remember growing up watching it for several years, not ever thinking that I would be able to be a judge on it – and now I was, and it’s like, ‘What, what’s going on?’ It’s just crazy. I’m always trying to see how far I can go.

And I think that’s, for me, definitely something that I always look at: how far can I go with anything that I do?