From YouTube bedrooms to boardrooms, Olajide ‘KSI’ Olatunji on building a life where nothing is off-limits

Few modern careers make sense when viewed in a straight line. KSI’s is not one of them. It zigzags across platforms, industries and continents, refusing to settle into a single definition. YouTuber, rapper, entrepreneur, producer, brand-builder — each title fits, yet none contain him entirely. That, perhaps, is the point.

How is KSI everywhere all at once?

Born Olajide Olatunji in London to Nigerian parents, KSI came of age alongside the internet itself. What began as FIFA commentary videos filmed in a bedroom evolved into a digital empire that now reaches tens of millions across YouTube, music charts, streaming platforms and supermarket shelves. His audience is profoundly international: from the UK to the US, across Europe, Africa, and notably India, where his content, music and collaborations command a vast and deeply engaged fan base. Scroll through his comments or walk into a Prime-stocked convenience store in Mumbai or Delhi, and the reach becomes tangible.

Yet for all the scale, KSI still speaks like someone motivated by something far more intimate than numbers. “If a piece of content is entertaining, it will do well,” he says simply. “What matters is watch time, what people are saying in the comments, what people tell me in public about my content. The feedback is what I thrive off of. I’m an entertainer. If I know that my content is entertaining people, then I’m happy.”

This philosophy has remained consistent even as the production values around him have ballooned. Early YouTube rewarded volume and subscriber counts; today’s ecosystem, he notes, is more democratic. Quality rises faster. Competition is fiercer. For KSI, this has demanded constant reinvention. Comfort is the enemy. “I’ve always been a risk taker,” he says. “I can’t just do the same thing over and over because I personally get bored. The competition on YouTube is higher than it’s ever been before, so I need to make sure I stand out.”

That instinct for evolution runs through everything he does, including The Sidemen — the collective he co-founded in 2013 that has since become one of Britain’s most powerful digital brands. Seven friends who turned chemistry into a business without sanding down their individual edges, The Sidemen are proof that longevity online often depends on what happens off-camera.

“We fight a fair bit,” KSI admits, laughing. “We’re all very passionate about content and we sometimes don’t agree on directions, but it helps that there’s seven of us. We make sure to have meals together and do things outside of filming so it’s not just business. We’ve got a WhatsApp group where we share what we do daily, send funny memes, debate random topics. We are good friends and it shows. That’s why we’ve lasted this long.”

Music, though, has been his most personal battleground. For years, he occupied an uncomfortable in-between space: too successful online to be taken seriously by traditional music gatekeepers, too committed to music to treat it as a novelty. The shift, he says, was inevitable rather than dramatic. “I’ve always been an artist. It just took a while for everyone to catch up,” he says. When All Over the Place debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart in 2021, it marked a public turning point. Privately, it closed a loop. “That’s when I was able to shut a lot of people up.”

Still, KSI resists boxing himself musically. His catalogue swings between rap bravado, pop hooks and moments of vulnerability, often within the same project. The lack of predictability is intentional. “I kinda just do what I want musically,” he says. “If I want to write a love song, I’ll do it. If I want to rap about my achievements, I’ll do that. I’m a free spirit. You don’t know what to expect from me.”

The same could be said of his business ventures. Prime Hydration, co-founded with Logan Paul, reshaped the energy drink market almost overnight. His Netflix propjects speak to a more grown-up phase, while Lunchly targets younger audiences. To KSI, these aren’t contradictions but reflections of a life lived in layers. “I have a worldwide audience of all ages,” he explains. “I’ve done boxing, performed on stage in front of thousands, movies, TV. So it makes sense to create businesses that can target all ages across the world.”

There was a moment, early on, when the scale of it all crystallised. “Probably when I was making more than my parents,” he says. “Back when I started, making money on YouTube wasn’t really a thing. When I started making more than my teachers and parents, a light bulb switched on. I knew I was early to something that could change my life forever.”

Money, fame and global scrutiny have a way of warping relationships, yet KSI continues to build with friends: the Sidemen, Logan Paul, MrBeast. Trust, he believes, is operational rather than abstract. “By having good people around you that you can communicate with,” he says. “I’m a hard worker, I like getting things done at the highest quality, quickly. There’s always pressure, but I never let it get to me. I use it to fuel me. When I go into business with people, it’s because we’re like-minded and want success.”

Ask him about legacy, and the answer comes without hesitation. “I want it to be a jack of all trades,” he says. “I want people to be inspired when they look at my career. You can do whatever you want as long as you’re dedicated and hard working. Every day you work at it is a day you’re improving.”

It’s a sentiment that resonates deeply with his global audience, particularly in countries like India, where young creators, musicians and entrepreneurs see in KSI a model unconstrained by traditional pathways. His career suggests that geography, industry silos and inherited expectations are increasingly optional.

And when the cameras are off? When the metrics are silent? “It’s what I want to do,” he says. “I was born to entertain. I simply enjoy it. I just love entertaining people.”

In an age obsessed with specialisation, KSI’s refusal to choose a single lane feels radical. His story isn’t about mastering one thing perfectly, but about giving himself permission to try — publicly, messily, ambitiously. Everywhere all at once, indeed.

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