KSI
Born 1993 · Age 32
Known professionally as KSI, an English YouTuber, influencer, musician, actor and professional boxer; co-founder of the Sidemen; CEO of Misfits Boxing; co-owner/investor in Prime Hydration, Lunchly and other businesses.
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Life & Career Timeline
Created first YouTube account 'JideJunior'
Registered first YouTube account under the username 'JideJunior' and uploaded first video (school project).
Registered main YouTube channel (KSIOlajidebt)
Created the YouTube channel later known as KSI where he began uploading FIFA-commentary videos from his bedroom.
First public interest in music (writes comedy-rap)
Reported to have written/produced comedy-rap songs for his YouTube channel from around 2011.
Reached 1 million YouTube subscribers
Main channel reached one million subscribers as his content diversified into vlogs and skits.
Eurogamer controversy and Microsoft ties cut
Controversy over behaviour at Eurogamer event led to Microsoft cutting ties and ban from Eurogamer events; KSI later apologised.
Signed to Polaris (Maker Studios sub-network)
KSI signed with Maker Studios' Polaris network.
Joined the Sidemen group
Became a (co-founding) member of British YouTube group the Sidemen (group content, merchandise).
Sidemen Clothing launched
The Sidemen launched their clothing brand, expanding the group's commercial ventures.
Teamed with Endemol for Rule'm Sports; 'KSI: Demolished' series
Collaborated with Endemol on Rule'm Sports and with Comedy Central UK on the 'KSI: Demolished' roast series.
Signed with MLG.tv as streamer
Joined the MLG.tv roster as a live streamer for gaming/esports content.
Named among top-paid YouTubers (Forbes estimate)
Forbes estimated KSI's 2015 earnings over $4.5M; ranked fifth-highest-paid YouTuber that year.
Donated to charity and community work (2015 onward)
Donated $10,000 to Castro1021's stream and participated in Race Against Slime raising money for SpecialEffect (2015).
Ranked UK's most influential YouTube creator (Tubular Labs; with brother)
KSI and his brother Deji ranked first and second respectively as UK's Most Influential YouTube Creators.
Released debut single 'Lamborghini'
Debut single featuring P Money released (charted at #30 UK Singles Chart).
Published autobiography 'KSI: I Am a Bellend'
Released his autobiography in the UK (also released in the US days later) and toured to promote it.
Reached multiple mainstream media recognitions
Appeared on broadcast TV and mainstream features (e.g., BBC's Backchat, festival appearances), increasing mainstream profile.
Reached multiple YouTube subscriber milestones (10M+)
By 2016 KSI had passed multiple major subscriber milestones (10M by mid/late 2015–2016 era).
Diamond Play Buttons and Creator Awards milestones
Achieved multiple YouTube Creator Awards over the years (100k, 1M, 10M Diamond buttons across channels).
Released debut EP 'Keep Up'
EP released through Island Records; debuted at #13 UK Albums Chart and #1 UK R&B Albums Chart.
Starred in film 'Laid in America' (direct-to-video release)
Co-starred with Caspar Lee; film released direct-to-video by Universal Pictures on 26 Sep 2016.
Released 'Creature' and 'Space' EP independently
'Creature' released 23 June 2017; Space EP released 30 June 2017 independently.
Social media blackout and hiatus from uploads
Privatised many videos and took a multi-month break; returned to YouTube mid-2017 and restored many videos.
Released 'Disstracktions' EP and announced final release with Island
Disstracktions released 6 October 2017; KSI said he'd release music independently thereafter.
Released documentary 'KSI: Can't Lose'
Released documentary covering build-up to Joe Weller fight and preparations for Logan Paul fight; distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
Featured on major singles as collaborator (e.g., 'Lighter' with Nathan Dawe in 2020)
Later in 2020 KSI featured on hit 'Lighter' (Nathan Dawe) which peaked at #3 UK and was platinum in UK; shows his crossover as a featured artist.
Reported high earnings from boxing & PPV events (industry estimates)
Business Insider and others estimated substantial revenues from KSI vs Logan Paul events (e.g., ~£8.5M PPV revenue UK for 2018 event); KSI disputed extreme upper estimates.
Announced fight with Logan Paul (amateur)
KSI vs Logan Paul amateur fight later held in August 2018 (announced Feb 24 2018).
Boxed Joe Weller (amateur) – Copper Box Arena
White-collar/amateur boxing match vs Joe Weller; KSI won by TKO in round 3. Big online viewership.
Fought Logan Paul (amateur) — majority draw
Bout at Manchester Arena ended as a majority draw; event sold ~1.3M PPV buys (YouTube) and large revenues.
Estimated net worth ~£16M (2019 reporting)
Some outlets (The Sunday Times/others cited in profiles) estimated KSI's net worth around £16M (~$21M) in 2019.
Released collaborative album 'New Age' with Randolph
New Age debuted at #17 UK Albums Chart and #1 UK R&B Albums Chart.
Signed with RBC Records / BMG
Announced signing to RBC/BMG to further develop music career and manage/reissue catalogue recordings.
Released 'Down Like That' (lead single for debut album)
Lead single featuring Rick Ross, Lil Baby and S-X; peaked at #10 UK Singles Chart; certified silver.
Professional rematch vs Logan Paul — KSI wins (split decision)
Rematch at Staples Center was a professional bout; KSI won via split decision. Promoted by Eddie Hearn.
Scheduled festival appearances cancelled due to COVID-19
Parklife, Longitude and Reading & Leeds festival performances to promote Dissimulation were cancelled because of the pandemic.
Reported property holdings (owns 10+ properties)
Stated he owned over ten properties across England worth a combined ~£10M (2020 interview).
Helped at food bank for 'Help the Hungry' campaign
Supported The Independent's campaign by volunteering at a food bank during COVID-19.
Released debut studio album 'Dissimulation'
Album debuted at #2 UK Albums Chart, was UK's best-selling debut by a British artist in 2020 and certified gold by BPI.
Publicly disclosed cryptocurrency losses
Revealed losing almost £6 million in cryptocurrency in 2021 and said he planned to stop investing in crypto.
Released single 'Don't Play' (Anne-Marie, Digital Farm Animals)
Single debuted at #2 on the UK Singles Chart and later certified platinum by BPI.
Launched record label 'The Online Takeover'
Announced new label in partnership with manager Mams Taylor; first signee Aiyana-Lee announced soon after.
Donated £10,000 to Comic Relief 'Lol-a-thon'
Donated to BBC Radio 1 fundraiser for Comic Relief.
Signed open letter urging COVID-19 vaccination in black British communities
Signed an open letter written by Lenny Henry to encourage vaccine uptake.
Listed on Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe (Entertainment)
Recognised in Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list for entertainment.
Co-founded Misfits Boxing (with Wasserman Boxing partnership)
Announced a boxing promotion company 'Misfits Boxing' (partnership with Wasserman Boxing) to promote influencer/entertainment boxing events.
Released single 'Holiday' (lead for platinum edition)
'Holiday' debuted at #2 on the UK Singles Chart (highest-charting solo single to date).
Released second studio album 'All Over the Place'
Album debuted at #1 UK Albums Chart (first chart-topper) and later certified platinum by the BPI.
Co-founded Prime Hydration (with Logan Paul)
Launched Prime, a drinks brand (sports drinks/energy) marketed globally through Prime Hydration, LLC.
Signed with Atlantic Records & Warner Music UK
Signed with Atlantic Records & Warner Music UK to continue music releases internationally (announced 30 May 2022).
Fought two opponents in one night (Swarmz & Luis Alcaraz Pineda)
At MF & DAZN: X Series 001 KSI beat Swarmz (KO R2) and Luis Alcaraz Pineda (KO R3); won and retained MFB cruiserweight title.
Launched XIX Vodka (Sidemen collaboration)
Sidemen launched a vodka brand called XIX Vodka.
Amazon Prime documentary 'KSI: In Real Life' released
Documentary produced by Louis Theroux released in January 2023, following KSI over the course of a year.
Fought FaZe Temperrr (MF cruiserweight title defence)
Defended and retained MFB cruiserweight title, defeating FaZe Temperrr via 1st-round KO.
Fought Joe Fournier — initial KO overturned to no-contest
Originally a 2nd-round KO win for KSI on 13 May 2023 at Wembley; PBA later ruled the bout a no-contest (19 May 2023) due to an accidental elbow.
Invested in The Fellas Studios and notwoways sneaker brand
KSI invested in production company The Fellas Studios and sneaker brand notwoways (both 2023 investments).
Fought Tommy Fury and suffered first professional defeat
Faced Tommy Fury at Manchester Arena; initial scoring confusion later corrected to a unanimous decision loss for KSI; event generated ~1.3M PPV buys.
Charity boxing spar raising over £50,000 for Anthony Walker Foundation
Faced IShowSpeed in a charity sparring match raising more than £50,000 for charity.
Estimated personal/net worth reports (~$27M reported)
Media reporting in 2024 placed KSI's personal net worth around $27M (approximate; vary between outlets).
Sidemen ranked among UK's richest creators (group estimate)
The Times in Aug 2024 ranked the Sidemen group (KSI + members) 21st among top UK creators, estimating ~£50M fortune shared among the group.
Launched 'Best Cereal' breakfast cereal with Sidemen (Mornflake)
Sidemen launched a breakfast cereal brand in collaboration with Mornflake.
Performed two-part concert at MF & DAZN: X Series 17
Previewed unreleased singles 'Low' and 'Thick of It' at the event.
Co-founded Lunchly (kids lunch kit) with Logan Paul & MrBeast
Established Lunchly – joint venture between Prime and Feastables offering branded kids' lunch kits (announced Sept 2024).
Released double-single 'Low' / 'Thick of It' (feat. Trippie Redd)
Released two singles; 'Thick of It' received negative reception online.
Performed at Hits Radio Live (Co-op Live Arena)
Performed to sold-out crowds as part of the Hits Radio Live lineup (Nov 2024).
Named president of Baller League UK
Announced as president of a six-a-side football league, Baller League UK (Nov 2024).
Received BRIT Billion Award
Awarded the BRIT Billion Award for amassing over one billion music streams in the UK.
Released single 'Dirty' (leaked earlier July 2024)
Released single 'Dirty' which received positive reception following earlier negative response to 'Thick of It'.
Appeared at MF & DAZN: X Series 20 announcement (ring face-off) and public dispute
Appeared during broadcast; opponent withdrawals and on-stage altercation and brawl with Wayne Bridge occurred around the live announcement (Jan 18 2025 broadcast context).
BRIT Awards 2025 nomination for 'Thick of It' (Song of the Year)
'Thick of It' nominated for Song of the Year at The BRIT Awards 2025.
Participated in 'Match for Hope 2025' charity football match (Doha)
Played and co-captained Team AboFlah & KSI; match raised over $10.7 million for charity; his team won 6–5.
Guest judge and performer on Britain's Got Talent Series 18
Appeared as guest judge standing in for Bruno Tonioli and performed in the live final; pressed Live Show Golden Buzzer for magician Harry Moulding.
Misfits Boxing scheduling & cancellations (Dillon Danis bouts postponed)
Multiple scheduled match-ups (Dillon Danis replacement, then postponement due to KSI illness and event rescheduling from April to May 2025).
Released double-single 'Catch Me If You Can' / 'So Far Away' (feat. S-X)
Released another double-single; 'So Far Away' previously leaked in July 2024.
Key Achievement Ages
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