KSI leaves social media over racial slur

Famous YouTuber KSIreal name Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunji, took a step back from social media due to the backlash over the racial slur.

A clip from his now-deleted YouTube video shows the rapper playing a word game with friends when he created the offending word he ticked off.

Some prominent members of the affected community commented on how upsetting the choice of words was given the derogatory connotation.

Read on to learn more.

KSI used a racist pejorative term

Over the weekend, the KSI co-founder and member of the Sidemen YouTube group formed the word “P**i” into the camera while playing. She took part in a video inspired by the British game show ‘Countdown’ where contestants test their vocabulary. To play, they can choose between two piles of tiles, one containing a vowel and the other a consonant.

no @ksi you are not a funny person, you cannot say “P*ki” in any context

This does a lot for the content🙄pic.twitter.com/qrotwIkobr

— Kini🇵🇭🇮🇳 (@lcfckini) April 2, 2023

Players must create the longest nine-letter word possible within 30 seconds. This is what KSI was trying to do by using a derogatory term commonly used in the UK for people of South Asian descent. Although he claimed he didn’t mean it maliciously, the word got out.

The rest of the Sidemen seemed to find the use of the term funny as they laughed out loud at KSI’s choice of words in the video. The controversial clip offended many viewers, especially those of Pakistani descent and other people of brown skin.

The South Asian community was outraged

The video drew widespread criticism on social media, especially from some prominent members of the South Asian community. DJ Bobby Friction, who experienced racial slurs and physical violence as a child, was deeply disappointed by KSI’s behavior.

That it beeps, criticized the YouTuber for his insensitivity and called on the other people in the video to laugh along. He then pointed out the casual normalization of the dehumanization of brown people. Friction wrote: “Honestly upset that @KSI (a guy my kids love) did this and thought it was funny.”

Actor, producer and BAFTA nominee Guz Khan also expressed his displeasure on Twitter. In a series tweets, stated that many Pakistanis could make life difficult for KSI and anyone who found the video amusing. He hoped the “dead countdown prank” would be worth the potential backlash.

KSI apologized and removed the video

In response to the criticism, KSI removed the offending video from the Sidemen YouTube channel and apologized on Twitter. He admitted that there was no excuse for his behavior and that he was not beyond mistakes.

The tweet in a recent Sidemen video read“I want to apologize for saying racial slurs. There’s no excuse, I shouldn’t have said it regardless of the circumstances, and I’m sorry. I’ve always told my audience not to worship me or put me on a pedestal because I’m human.”

The “Patience” rapper added, “I’m not perfect, I’m going to mess up and I’ve messed up a lot lately. So I decided to take a break from social media.”

There were mixed reactions to KSI’s apology

KSI’s apology received mixed reviews from fans who shared their reservations under the tweet. While some accepted the statement, others claimed it was unconscionable. A comment read, “No one worships you, son. You don’t have to be God to understand that racism is not okay. You live in the UK and you should know the consequences of saying that word.”

Another Twitter user encouraged the rapper to “take some time to think and focus on the upcoming boxing match.” THE the fan added, “Everyone goes through lows and highs.” However, one user took issue with this comment, pointing out KSI’s carelessness. Their comment read: “So saying racial slurs on camera and not even caring if it’s edited out is forgivable ‘meanness’ now, right?

Another noted that Americans had no say in whether the video was offensive. OK famous“In the whole context, especially within the UK, it’s very horrendously malicious to use, and everyone involved knows that.” Other fans were concerned about the rapper’s decision to stay away from social media for a while. One wrote, “Most people don’t seem to be that upset about it. I still understand why you want to take a break.”