KSI is the bandana-wearing YouTube star turned rapper

Arti­cle tak­en from The Face Vol­ume 4 Issue 003. Order your copy here, and follow us on Instagram here.

Hello, KSI. We’re here in your swanky flat in central London. What’s the best thing about living 30 billion feet in the sky?

It’s great. Obviously the view is good, but I think it’s mainly the location. Living in London makes life a lot easier.

How many TVs do you think you have?

How many TVs? Er… one, two, three, four, five… I think about five. Five or six.

What’s your favourite household appliance?

What?

Household appliance.

What do you mean?

Just your favourite one to use.

[KSI’s press person interjects to suggest a kettle.] Oh! I’ve never really thought about that. What do I use a lot… My bed?

Have you ever locked yourself out of your gaff?

No, because I can just go down and ask [the concierge] to help me get in. They have a spare key.

What’s it like being so jolly rich?

I mean, it’s all right. I’ve worked hard for it, so it’s nice to reap the rewards finally. But it’s not like I just sit down and do nothing any more. I still work hard. I only started because I enjoyed playing games and doing YouTube. There wasn’t any money in it at the time, and then eventually money became a thing and I was able to make a little career out of it. But it’s not like I saw myself being at this point, I didn’t have a goal in my mind like, I’m gonna have this much, blah blah blah. I just enjoyed doing it.

What’s the first thing you do when you get up in the morning?

Look at my phone. Wake up, look at my phone, look at all the messages, try and reply to everything and then get up, shower and brush my teeth. A lot of times I go for a run. And then, yeah, I start the day.

Have you ever counted all your bandanas?

No, never! I have a lot of bandanas but I’ve never counted them! I’d probably say about 40.

I’d have thought more.

Really? Nah, because if I use seven a week, then you can always just wash them.

Do you ever cringe when you see old photos of yourself dressed up in disgusting clothes that your parents used to wear?

Oh yeah, yeah. Of course. And haircuts I used to have. There’s a character called Uub in Dragon Ball Z that I had a similar haircut to. That was a bit of a mistake. I had a mohawk. I went bald for a second. I’ve been through it.

Would you ever wear a waistcoat?

Probably not, nah.

Do you ever think about outer space and your head gets done in?

Oh yeah, I love space. I love everything about space, I just think it’s so intriguing. Especially the idea of there being another life form out there. We have no idea, and they probably have no idea as well. Or maybe they do have an idea and we don’t really know. I think it’s cool.

If you were an alien, what would you look like?

I’d probably look like a human, just so I could blend in. I think that would be the smartest way to go about things.

How would you say your transition from YouTube star to musician has been accepted?

I guess for me, because I’ve been doing it for so long, a lot of my fans get it and they know I’m not just jumping on the bandwagon. I enjoy music and making it, so once that click happens and I start making music I think it’s dope. I think the audience can see that, and then they push it. It’s kind of like I’m forced into the mainstream. I’d say I wasn’t let in with open arms. It definitely took a while to get to that point. Now that I’m somewhat there, I think it’s really cool. I’ve gotta thank the fans. For real, I wouldn’t have been able to get to this point without them.

Read next: Will this fight between two YouTubers change boxing forever? It’s a six-round bout between two boxing beginners. But the grudge rematch between KSI and Logan Paul II could rip up the fight game’s rule book for good.

KSI’s single Wake Up Call (ft Trippie Redd) is out now.