KSI

KSI, the British rapper, has earned recognition as a versatile entertainer whose chart dominance matches his prominence in online videos and boxing. He progressed from early satirical tracks to more layered songwriting and production on the breakthrough single "Lamborghini" from 2015. Refinement of his approach continued through later releases, notably the sharp-toned 2018 EP Disstracktions and the 2020 album Dissimulation, before he reached the top of the U.K. charts with his 2021 sophomore effort All Over the Place. Momentum carried forward the next year via the well-received Tom Grennan collaboration "Not Over Yet," followed by further international chart entries with 2024's "Thick of It" featuring Trippie Redd.

Olajide Olatunji, known initially as KSIOlajideBT, began uploading video game commentary to the web in 2008, concentrating most of his output on the FIFA series. A footballer prompted his first rap attempt when Emile Heskey became the subject of "Heskey Time," a satirical number that launched a run of football-focused tracks including the 2012 release "Sweaty Goals" with Randolph. He joined rapper Sway for the 2013 single "No Sleep" and appeared on producer Droideka's 2014 track "Get Hyper." His own 2015 release "Lamborghini" featured P-Money, while "Keep Up" served as the title track for the 2016 debut EP that carried his name. That same year his book KSI: I Am a Bellend came out, issued in the United States under the title KSI: I Am a Tool. A short-lived association with Island Records ended after the 2016 EP Jump Around appeared.

Content creation, boxing, and an expanding music career kept KSI occupied in the ensuing period as he operated independently to issue singles such as 2017's "Creature" and projects including the 2018 EP Disstracktions. Boxing involvement grew through the conversion of online rivalries with fellow video creators into white-collar matches, most notably the extended conflict with American internet personality and occasional music-maker Logan Paul. A 2019 agreement with RBC Records led directly to the November 7 release of the first single "Down Like That," which included appearances by Rick Ross, S-X, and Lil Baby and reached number ten on the U.K. Singles Chart. January 2020 brought the follow-up "Wake Up Call" featuring Trippie Redd, after which the debut full-length Dissimulation arrived in May. That set, drawing on contributors from Jeremih to Offset, highlighted command of the microphone across trap and Afro-swing styles and entered at number two on the U.K. Albums chart while reaching the Top 20 of Billboard's Independent Albums chart.

A number-two U.K. hit arrived in January 2021 with "Don't Play" alongside Anne-Marie and Digital Farm Animals, succeeded in March by the number-three entry "Patience" featuring Yungblud and Polo G. A third chart success came with the ballad "Holiday," which peaked at number two, ahead of the second studio album All Over the Place. That project, encompassing an expanded array of collaborators and genres that included Future and Craig David, secured KSI's first number-one placement on the U.K. albums chart. A deluxe edition later in 2021 produced an additional hit in the Lil Wayne-assisted "Lose." Beyond the solo track "Summer Is Over," 2022 featured two notable collaborations: "Locked Out" with S-X and the melodic "Not Over Yet" featuring Tom Grennan.

"Voices" featuring Oliver Tree reached number 11 on the U.K. chart in 2023. "Easy" with Bugzy Malone and R3HAB followed, after which the Trippie Redd collaboration "Thick of It" surfaced in 2024 and landed in the U.K. Top Ten while charting across multiple additional territories.