The YouTuber tells BBC Newsbeat he wants to use his own influential platform in a positive way.
Image source, Getty ImagesYouTuber and rapper KSI says Andrew Tate’s Top G persona is “cringey” and fans shouldn’t worship influencers.
Tate, a self-styled misogynist, has gained an army of young fans by boasting about his wealth and lavish lifestyle.
The ex-kickboxer, who is currently under arrest in Romania, is known among followers as “Top G”.
But KSI, real name Olajide Olatunji, tells BBC Newsbeat he has no interest in “being put on a pedestal” like Tate.
“I don’t want people to worship me. I don’t want this Top G title,” says KSI, who has 24m followers on his main YouTube account.
The 29-year-old, who’s gearing up for his next boxing match on Saturday, has previously said he is keen to challenge Tate in the ring.
But outside of it, he says he would rather use his own influential platform in a positive way, in contrast to Tate, who insults his own followers.
“Try and be fair to everyone, try and just be good to everyone. Spread positivity all the time,” he says.
“And yeah, you know, we’re all human. We’re all gonna make mistakes. No one is perfect.
“And I always say that to my audience: don’t put me on a pedestal. Like I am not the GOAT. I don’t want people to worship me.”
Image source, Getty Images
Earlier in his career, KSI was accused of making vulgar comments about women, and his actions towards women at a 2013 gaming convention led brands to criticise him and cut ties with him.
He apologised for his behaviour in a 2020 Guardian interview, adding: “You can hide from it, pretend it doesn’t exist. Or, you know, hit it head on, realise why it was a mistake.”
And KSI says his outlook these days is very different.
“Treat women well, treat men well, treat everyone well, and just have the right attitude.”
And it’s not the only difference between him and Tate.
Since his arrest, Tate has tweeted frequently about “The Matrix” – thought to be a reference to powerful figures in media, politics and business trying to silence him and control others.
“I just think it’s cringey,” says KSI.
“I don’t care about this whole matrix stuff or whatever,” KSI says.
“For me, I just want to live my life and help as many people as possible and be a good person.”
Andrew Tate
Image source, Reuters
A four-time kickboxing world champion who was booted out of reality show Big Brother in 2016 after video of him appearing to attack a woman emerged.
He went on to build up a huge online following and found worldwide fame.
This was largely thanks to social media, where videos with the Andrew Tate hashtag have been watched billions of times
He proudly claims to be a misogynist, and has previously described women as “intrinsically lazy” and said there was “no such thing as an independent female”.
It was comments like these that got him banned from YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. He was allowed back on Twitter after Elon Musk took over the company.
Tate claims he’s a “self-made millionaire” thanks to a webcam business he runs with his brother.
Both are currently detained in Romania as a part of a human trafficking and rape investigation.
KSI has found success as a YouTuber, recording artist, entrepreneur and boxer – returning to the ring on Saturday night when he faces FaZe Temperrr.
He says he doesn’t mind how people address him, because it’s now all about the work ethic, whatever he does.
“I don’t really mind people calling me an influencer fighting because I am an influencer, I’m a YouTuber. That’s how I started out.”
“I don’t really care. For me, I just love working hard. I love training hard and putting in hard work, whatever I do,” he adds.
