Biography
Olajide Olayinka ‘KSI’: Biography, Education, Careers, Girlfriend, Net Worth, Sources of Income, Achievements and Controversy
By Balogun Kamilu Lekan
Biography
Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunji, popularly known as KSI or JJ, was born on June 19, 1993, in Watford, Hertfordshire, to Jide Adamulla and Yinka Atinuke,
KSI is a YouTuber, rapper, actor, comedian, video game commentator, author, and boxer.
Olajide is a multi-talented individual who has recorded tremendous success in all his chosen careers.
He ranked fifth on Forbes’ list of the world’s top-earning YouTube stars in 2015. In 2021, he was also featured in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Europe list for Entertainment.
KSI was among Forbes’ Top Creators in 2022.
He was also formerly featured on the UK’s Most Influential YouTube Creators list.
Education
KSI dropped out of school to focus on making money through playing video games and reviewing several others
Olajide has made an enormous fortune from his chosen endeavours without a degree.
Career
YouTube
Olajide posted his first video on Youtube in 2009, and the video was a foundation for several hundred others later in the year.
He is famous for posting videos of himself playing FIFA video games. This game allows him to compete in real-time virtual tournaments with other online players.
Olatunji films himself while playing and uploads the clips to his YouTube channel. Subscribers find his content fascinating, and his engagements began to witness rapid growth.
While playing the FIFA video game, he smashed the previous world record of 110 goals against a computer by achieving a total of 190 goals. As a result, his name was included in the Guinness Book of World Records Gamer’s Edition (2013). In a survey commissioned by Variety, he was rated the fourth most influential figure among American youths.
Olajide has also played FIFA games with famous footballers like Arsenal’s Kieran Gibbs, Wojciech Szcz?sny and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
While his main niche primarily focuses on FIFA, he also comments on other games such as Grand Theft Auto V and other PC-based mods on his second channel.
His family sometimes features in his videos. His younger brother Deji and his father have become famous figures in their own right with Olajide’s viewers.
His two YouTube channels (ksi & ksiolajidebthd) boast a fanbase of more than 39 million subscribers and a portfolio of brand endorsements.
Some of KSI’s videos, like “bombastic,” “bawdy, and “borderline,” have garnered more than a billion views on his page.
Olajide’s business model is straightforward. He records himself playing video games and posts them on his YouTube channels. He produces up to 40 videos per month. When his massive YouTube following clicks on advertisements placed on his YouTube pages, he earns money through YouTube’s partnership program. With each of his videos boasting two million views, his wealth accumulation is beyond imagination.
Outside of playing video games on his YouTube channel, he also writes songs and makes music videos. One of his songs, Touch Down, even appeared in the 2017 movie Baywatch. For his music videos, he goes by the stage name KSI.
Some of the other videos he makes include comedy sketches on various topics. He does pranks, hangs out with friends, and plays sports.
Television And Film Career
Aside from vlogging, KSI has also been featured in some movies and TV series.
In 2016, KSI and Caspar Lee starred in the British direct-to-video 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 September 26, 2016. Jason Best of Movie Talk gave the film 1 out of 5 and called it “Crass and witless.”
In 2018, he released KSI: Can’t Lose, a documentary film that revolves around scenes behind what propelled him to the top of the YouTube boxing rankings after his boxing debut against fellow YouTube star Joe Weller.
Later in 2018, the movie was released in selected theatres and digital platforms. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the film, created by fellow YouTuber Callux’s film firm After Party Studios.
KSI appears briefly in the Amazon Original sports documentary, All or Nothing: Arsenal, which reveals the club’s time behind the scenes with the coaching staff and players on and off the field throughout the 2021-22 season.
In 2022, it was announced that KSI’s life and career would be the subject of a documentary by Amazon Prime Video and Louis Theroux.
Music career
A multi-talented KSI ventured into music and released his KSI debut track, “Lamborghini,” with Dcypha Productions in 2015, featuring MC P Money. The song peaked at number 30 on the UK Singles Chart.
Later in 2015, he released “Keep Up”, the title song for his debut extended play featuring Jme. The song reached number 45 in the UK Singles Chart.
The entire EP was released by Island Records on January 8, 2016, arriving at number 13 on the UK Albums Chart and number one on the UK R&B Albums Chart.
In 2016, he released his second EP, Jump Around, which featured “Friends with Benefits” and “Touch Down” which hosted the appearance of rapper and singer Stefflon Don. The latter song featured as soundtrack in the 2017 film Baywatch
His third EP, Space, was released in June 2017. KSI followed it with his fourth EP, Disstracktions, which includes dissing tracks against fellow Sidemen members W2S and Benzinga.
Distractions peaked at 31 on the UK Albums Chart and number one on the UK R&B Albums Chart.
In 2018, he released another single “Uncontrollable”, featuring Big Zuu. The song was used to usher him into the boxing ring in his fight against Joe Weller.
Olajide also collaborated with Randolph to release an album titled New Age. It ranked number 17 on the UK Albums Chart and number one on the UK R&B Albums Chart.
Advancing in his music career, Olajide signed a record deal with RBC Records and BMG in 2019.
His debut lead single, “Down Like That” sees the appearance of top stars like Rick Ross, Lil Baby and S-X. The song ranked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart and was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales of 200,000 units in the country.
Olajide dropped his studio debut album, Dissimulation, in 2020, an album which debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart and further charted in 15 other countries. It was also the UK’s best-selling debut album by a British artist in 2020, with gold certification by the BPI for sales of 100,000 units in the country. The album spawned two other UK top 40 singles, “Cap”, featuring Offset, and “Killa Killa”, featuring Aiyana-Lee.
In 2022, KSI announced his signature ” with Atlantic Records and Warner Music UK “following his huge collaboration with Anne-Marie on Don’t Play. He followed his announcement with “Not Over Yet”, a single featuring Tom Grennan.
He had a remix of it featuring Headie One and Nines in August 2022, and this song was his entrance track to his boxing match with Luis Alcaraz Pineda on August 27 2022
Boxing career
KSI took his escapade beyond music, acting, or video games. He took to boxing too and was a trainee of professional boxers Viddal Riley and Jeff Mayweather, uncle of Floyd Mayweather Jr.
He fought with Logan Paul at the Staples Center, Los Angeles, where he defeated Paul in a split decision, 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.
In June 2021, he partnered with Wasserman Promotions to launch a boxing promotional company titled “Misfits Boxing.”
In another fight, KSI defeated Swarmz in the 2nd round KO and won the ICB World Cruiserweight title.
In August 2022, Olajide defeated Mexican professional boxer Luis Alcaraz Pineda to retain his ICB World Cruiserweight title.
Girlfriend
KSI has reportedly dated Seana Cuthbert and Jean Watts but is recently single.
Net worth
According to Forbes, KSI was paid a minimum of $900,000 for his second fight against Logan Paul in 2019.
Forbes also estimated KSI’s earnings in 2015 to be more than $4.5 million, placing him as the world’s fifth-highest paid YouTuber.
Olajide is a lover of exotic cars. Some of the vehicles in his fleet are:
Rolls-Royce Wraith
Lamborghini Aventador
Mercedes-Maybach
Porsche Cayenne
Porsche 718 Boxer
With other income streams from music and acting, KSI’s net worth is reportedly estimated at $25 Million.
Achievements
In 2015, KSI gave $10,000 to YouTuber Castro1021 and participated in the Race Against Slime event, which raised money for SpecialEffect, a foundation that develops technologies to help people with physical limitations enjoy video games.
KSI volunteered at a food bank on May 8, 2020, to promote The Independent’s Help the Hungry campaign.
KSI prepared lunches to assist the Evening Standard’s Food for London Now initiative on December 18, 2020.
On March 11 2021, KSI gave £10,000 to BBC Radio 1’s “Lol-a-thon” fundraiser for Comic Relief.
Filmography
Film
- Laid in America
- KSI: Can’t Lose
- Test Case
Television
- The Gadget Show
- Friday Download
- Rise of the Superstar
- Saturday Mash-Up!
- The Big Narstie Show
- Top Gear
- Sport Relief
- The Playlist
- Celebrity Gogglebox
- Gogglebox
- The Great Stand Up to Cancer
- Blue Peter
- All or Nothing: Arsenal
Web-based
- 5-A-Side
- KSI Demolished
- The Sidemen Experience
- Pass the Pad
- The Sidemen Show
- Formula E Voltage
- The Creator Games 1
- The Creator Games 2
Video games
- Roblox
Gameography
- KSI Unleashed
- BoxTuber
Discography
Studio albums
- Dissimulation
- All Over the Place
- New Age (with Randolph)
Concert tours
- Jump Around Tour
- The New Age Tour
- All Over The Place Tour
Awards and nominations
- Shorty Awards
- NME Awards
- British Book Awards
- BBC Radio 1’s Teen Choice Awards
- Global Awards
- The Ring Year-End Awards
- MTV Awards
- MOBO Awards
- Amazon Music UK Best Song
- 2021 The BRIT Awards
- Music Week Awards
- MTV Europe Music Awards
- Artist & Manager Awards
- Global Awards
- Rated Awards
Controversy
In 2012, KSI was caught in a sexual harassment controversy when he was accused of harassing women at the Eurogamer event. He was, however, butt out of the event.
He also lost a deal with Microsoft after the event. KSI later apologised for his act.
Disclaimer
The information in this article was curated from online sources. NewsWireNGR or its editorial team cannot independently verify all details.
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