KOMI x GAFFER: KSI looks back on over a decade in the creator economy

Growing up, what was your dream job? 

Believe it or not, I wanted to be a bin man. I remember I used to wake up early just to see the bin man put the rubbish in the trash van. And I just thought it was so cool, the way it would just lift into the truck, I guess. You just wake up early and then you finish midday and you just get the rest of the day to just chill, relax. 

Who is your dream collaboration?

It'd be really cool to do a song with Billie Eilish.

Who is your biggest inspiration? 

I mean, I've had several inspirations throughout my life. I wouldn't say I have a biggest, but, you know, I've been interested in people like Childish Gambino or Donald Glover, just his whole lifestyle, how he's able to interchange from YouTube to music to movies, et cetera. And he doesn't put himself in one box. He spreads himself out. And I'm all about making sure I don't stay in the box. Someone like Will Smith as well is really cool. Just again, someone who just doesn't stay in the box. He's done music, he's done movies, et cetera. So I think for me, I love being able to spread my wings and try new things. And yeah, have fun with it. 

If you could invite any 3 people, dead or alive, to a dinner party, who would they be? 

I'm going to say Prince Harry. He's a pretty cool guy. I met him recently. And yeah, he's just a very chill guy, very cool. Skepta, Ghettz. Those three.  

With so much of your life shared on social media, do you feel your lyrics are less open to interpretation and more tied to specific events? 

I feel like I can leave them to interpretation. There's a lot that I put out into the social media world, but then there's a lot that I keep in, and I save that for my music. You know, I feel like that's my way of letting my mind just, you know, run free, essentially, doing music. Yeah, I'd say, for me, you know, music is liberating. I'm able to just have fun, do my thing, enjoy myself, go crazy in the studio and yeah, let the lyrics speak for themselves. But yeah, obviously with social media, I guess people have this idea about me. 

If you could go back in time, what do you think your younger self would be the most impressed / shocked by? 

I think it would blow my younger self's mind. Like, because back then, the idea of me having a number one album was just impossible. Even hitting like a million subscribers, 10 million subscribers, stuff like that, it just, again, would be ridiculous. Because back then, it was just so hard to do anything online, do anything in terms of being an online creator and then venturing off into music or venturing off into boxing, et cetera. Like there were gatekeepers in all these industries. And it was basically impossible. And for me to be able to break through, it would have been incredible for my younger self. 

How do you think the entertainment industry will continue to evolve, and what role do you see yourself playing in that? 

Yeah, I definitely see more and more influencers or footballers or musicians or people from several different industries, venturing into Misfits and trying it out. Because why not? It's a cool thing to do. It's a lifetime opportunity where a lot of people have the idea or would like to do it, but never really had the courage or never thought it would be possible. And Misfits is a place where it allows you to do that. I think a lot of people and more and more people are starting to do it. I mean, we had Danny Simpson, who used to play for Leicester City, fight Danny Aaron, who's an influencer. And, you know, I talked to him after and he said he loved it, loved the whole process. 

So yeah, I think we're going to get a lot more of the people from different industries venturing into Misfits. 

What does success look like to you now compared to when you first started? 

I feel like I've been really successful in a lot of things that I've done. I think for me, it's kind of just like my own little individual goals that I have. Whether it's, you know, in boxing, making sure I improve my form or improve my fitness or improve my technique, et cetera. Or in music, improving my sound, improving the lyrics, the beat selection, all of that, or YouTube improving the videos, in order to get more views, et cetera. Yeah, I just have mini goals for me. That's kind of what my mini successes are. Because right now, I'm just kind of just vibing, enjoying life, man. And I feel like I've done so well, and I've been able to appreciate all of that.

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