KSI (entertainer)

KSI

KSI in 2015
Born Olajide Olatunji
(1993-06-19) 19 June 1993
Watford, Hertfordshire, England
Occupation
Years active 2008–present
Website ksiofficial.com

Musical career

Genres
Labels
Associated acts

YouTube information

Pseudonym KSIOlajideBT, KSI
Channel KSIOlajidebt
Years active 2008–present
Genre
Subscribers 14.8 million
Total views 3 billion
Network MakerGen
Associated acts

Olajide "JJ" Olatunji (born 19 June 1993),[1] better known as KSI (a shortened version of his online alias KSIOlajideBT), is an English rapper, comedian, actor and YouTube personality.[2][3] Besides being well known for his music, he is also known on YouTube for his channel, which has, as of October 2016, reached over 14.8 million subscribers and 3 billion video views, and is the 22nd most subscribed channel on YouTube.[4]

The pseudonym "KSIOlajideBT" comes from a gaming community he was in (KSI), his given name Olajide, and BT British Telecom, according to his website. His videos mostly consist of FIFA gameplay/commentary, whilst playing other games on various platforms with the occasional vlog.

Career

Music

In 2011, KSI branched out into music, mainly as a rapper. Starting out with fellow YouTuber Randolph, he released "Heskey Time", a rap song about Emile Heskey which was released on iTunes just before Christmas in 2011. The video features Heskey missing various chances on FIFA. Following the success of "Heskey Time", he began doing a segment on his channel called "Football Rap Battles", a video series which follows a similar vein to Epic Rap Battles of History. There, he and Randolph play the characters of famous figures from the world of football. Although it started off with raps featuring world footballers including Mario Balotelli and managers like Sir Alex Ferguson, one of them involves KSI as himself against Robin van Persie, hitting out at van Persie's acrimonious transfer from Arsenal to rivals Manchester United. He has also appeared in music videos with Droideka, directing and appearing in his music video for his song Get Hyper, whilst also collaborating with British rapper Sway, releasing two tracks with the London born rapper.

KSI released his first single as a solo artist on 23 March 2015 titled "Lamborghini", which features rapper P Money. The song was released under Sway's record label Dcypha Productions.[5] On 29 October 2015, KSI announced his debut EP entitled Keep Up.[6] It was released on 8 January 2016 by Island Records. The EP features guest appearances by Jme, Sway, Tiggs Da Author, and others.[7] The EP's title track, featuring Jme, was released on 13 November 2015 along with a music video released on 15 November 2015. In July 2016, KSI released "Friends with Benefits" featuring Dutch musical group MNDM.

YouTube

Before his successful channel, KSI had a YouTube channel (which is still online) called JideJunior, which he created on 24 April 2008.[8] KSI opened his current YouTube account on 24 July 2009, with a video about the FIFA video game franchise.[9]

KSI was the centre of a controversy following his actions at a Eurogamer event in 2012,[10] raised after he appeared at the Xbox One launch party in London.[11] With the reasoning of the controversy due to supposed sexual harassment on attendees of the event, Microsoft cut ties with the video game commentator, and he was banned for life from the Eurogamer Expo.[12] A message from KSI's manager states "Sexism is not something he condones or wants to be associated with. He wishes to apologise 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. In recent months, he has also been actively avoiding certain content seen in the distant past and wants to be judged on the great content and value he gives to brands and partners, without controversy."[13] Due to the severity of the controversy, it spilled over to involve VideoGamer.com.[14][15]

In February 2013, KSI appeared on the video "KSI VS FIFA // The Record Slam" made by GWRomg in which he broke the previous world record for 'the most goals scored against computer' of 110 goals, by scoring 190 goals. As a result, his name appeared in the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition (2013).[16]

In October 2013, KSI signed with Maker Studios' sub-network, Polaris.[17] Around that same time, he and five other gaming YouTubers formed a group called the Ultimate Sidemen, which initially consisted of himself, Ethan Payne (Behzinga), Simon Minter (miniminter), Josh Bradley (Zerkaa), Tobi Brown (TBJZL), and Vikram Barn (Vikkstar123). The group added a seventh member, Harry Lewis (wroetoshaw), in 2014. After defeating Virgin Gaming co-founder Zach Zeldin in a match of FIFA, KSI visited Las Vegas,[18] where he discussed YouTube's launching of a paid-channel subscription project.[19]

Other media

On 16 March 2015, KSI announced via his YouTube channel that he was releasing a book entiltled KSI: I Am A Bellend. The book is entitled KSI: I Am A Tool in the United States.[20] It is described by its publishers as “an all-out assault on the online universe”,[21] as the book includes his history and controversies on YouTube.[22] The book was released on 24 September 2015 in the United Kingdom and five days later in the United States.[20] KSI did a tour supporting the book on 24 September 2015, ending on 4 October 2015.[22]

In June 2015, it was announced that KSI, along with YouTube personality Caspar Lee, will star in a movie entitled Laid in America. It was released on 26 September 2016 and features other YouTube personalities including Timothy DeLaGhetto and Josh Leyva.[23][24]

Personal life

JJ's younger brother Deji Olatunji is also a well known YouTube personality known as "ComedyShortsGamer".[25] JJ and Deji both ranked number one and two respectively as "UK’s Most Influential Youtube Creators" by Tubular Labs in 2015.[26][27] JJ is a supporter of football club Arsenal F.C. and has also appeared on several different shows including BT Sport where he played FIFA with England and Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.[28]

Discography

Extended plays

List of extended plays
Title Album details Peak chart positions
UK
[29]		 UK R&B
[30]		 CAN
[31]		 NZL
[32]		 SCO
[33]		 US R&B
[34]		 US Rap
[35]
Keep Up 13 1 63 23 15 19 14
Jump Around
  • Released: 28 October 2016
  • Label: Island
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 — — — — — — —

Singles

As lead artist

List of singles as lead artist, with selected chart positions
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
UK
[29]		 UK
R&B
[36]		 AUS
[37]		 IRL
[38]		 SCO
[39]
"Lamborghini"
(featuring P Money)		 2015 30 7 — 61 28 N/A
"Keep Up"
(featuring Jme)		 45 7 78 90 40 Keep Up
"Goes Off"
(featuring Mista Silva)		 2016 — — — — — Jump Around
"Friends with Benefits"
(with MNDM)		 69 12 — — 43
"Jump Around"
(featuring Waka Flocka Flame)		 — — — — 77
List of singles as featured artist, with selected chart positions
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
UK
[40][41]
"Sweaty Goals"
(as BlacknWhite)		 2012 68 Non-album single
"No Sleep"
(Sway featuring KSI, Tigger Da Author, and Tubes)		 2013 44 Wake Up
"Christian Bale"
(Yogi featuring Casey Veggies, Knytro, Sway, KSI, and Raptor)		 2014 – Burial
"MAC-10 Flow"
(Sway featuring KSI)		 – Non-album single

References

  1. ↑ "KSI [SDMN] on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  2. ↑ Guinness World Records 2016 Gamer's Edition - Page 61 "The fastest lap of Laguna Seca in GT 5(two players) is by Callum McGinley and Olajide Olatunji (both UK) on 8 August 2013."
  3. ↑ "This Is Your Chance To Ask KSI Anything As We Go In The Zone". MTV UK. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  4. ↑ "KSIOlajidebt - About". YouTube. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  5. ↑ "Lamborghini (feat. P Money) - Single by KSI". iTunes. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  6. ↑ "KSI announces Keep Up". YouTube. 29 October 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  7. ↑ "Keep Up (feat. JME) - EP by KSI on iTunes". iTunes. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
  8. ↑ "JideJunior - YouTube". Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  9. ↑ Olatunji, Olajide. "KSIOlajidebt Home". Retrieved 9 December 2013.
  10. ↑ Cordell, Ben (October 2012). "YouTube Celeb KSI Sexually Harasses Attendees At Expo". StickTwiddlers.
  11. ↑ Totilo, Stephen (6 October 2012). "Booth Babes Not The Only Embarrassment At Eurogamer Expo". Kotaku. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
  12. ↑ Schreier, Jason (23 November 2013). "YouTuber Says He Was Censored For Criticising Another YouTuber". Kotaku. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
  13. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (23 November 2013). "YouTuber KSI dumped by Microsoft after Xbox One launch appearance". Eurogamer. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
  14. ↑ Lees, Matt (25 November 2013). "KSI Video Removal: Our Official Statement". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
  15. ↑ Lees, Matt (22 November 2013). "KSI and Xbox: Why MS got it wrong (Copyright safe version)". VideoGamerTV. YouTube. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
  16. ↑ "GWR OMG: Watch KSI attempt FIFA 13 goals record in Arsenal v Tottenham showdown". Guinness World Records News. 4 February 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  17. ↑ Gutelle, Sam (29 October 2013). "Captain Sparklez, KSIOlajidebt, Ali-A Among New Polaris Gamers". Tubefilter. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
  18. ↑ C., Carl (13 February 2013). "KSIOLAJIDEBT VIDEO IN VEGAS FOR CHALLENGE SERIES!". Virgin Gaming. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
  19. ↑ "KSIOlajidebt and Ali-A on YouTube pay channel charging". BBC. 10 May 2013. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
  20. 1 2 Gutelle, Sam. "YouTube Star KSI's New Book Flies Off The Shelves In Two Countries". Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  21. ↑ Ditum, Nathan. "Why it's worth trying to understand KSI, YouTube's most controversial star". NewStatesman. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  22. 1 2 "YouTubing 'bell-end' KSI: 'I'm a really nice guy'". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  23. ↑ "YouTube Stars KSI, Caspar Lee To Star In 'Laid In America' Feature Film". tubefilter. 5 June 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  24. ↑ "Laid in America on IMDB". Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  25. ↑ "UK YouTube Star KSI Gets Roasted On Comedy Central". Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  26. ↑ "Two Nigerian Brothers, Olajide & Deji Olatunji Top UK's Most Influential Youtube Creators". Information Nigeria. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  27. ↑ "Only a third of UK's top 10 most influential YouTuber's traffic originates in UK". The Drum. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  28. ↑ "Top Five: Celebrity Arsenal fans". Vavel. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  29. 1 2 "KSI : full Official Charts History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  30. ↑ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  31. ↑ "KSI – Canadian Albums Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  32. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – KSI – Keep Up". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  33. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  34. ↑ "R&B/Hip Hop Albums : Week of January 30, 2016". Billboard. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  35. ↑ "Top Rap Albums : Week of January 30, 2016". Billboard. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  36. ↑
  37. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (16 January 2016). "ARIA Singles: Justin Bieber 'Love Yourself' Spends 6th Week at No 1". Noise11. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  38. ↑ "GFK Chart-Track". Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  39. ↑
  40. ↑ For "Sweaty Goals" – http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/28960/BLACKNWHITE/
  41. ↑ For "No Sleep" – http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/34145/SWAY/
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