KSI and Trippie Redd reveal Drake's real DM reaction to new single Thick Of It

Not content with bagging a role on Britain's Got Talent, pioneering the entire PRIME brand, launching LUNCHLY and working across approximately 800 Sidemen side hustles, KSI looks set to score a 19th Official Top 40 single with Thick Of It this week.

The London-born multi-hyphenate, real name Olajide Olayinka Williams 'JJ' Olatunji, has joined forces with Ohio rapper and singer Trippie Redd for a second time on the track, currently expected to earn the highest new entry on this week's Official Singles Chart.

It's a song that's ignited a lot of online chatter, with social media commentors claiming Drake 'threw shade' at the track during an Adin Ross Kick stream, before going on to use the sound in an Instagram Reel.

Now, since we're proper investigative journalists and like to get to the bottom of this stuff, we gave KSI and Trippie Redd a call to set the record straight.

Other topics on the agenda included Thick Of It's Red Hot Chili Peppers sample, chaotic video shoots and that Crypt reaction video. Enjoy!

MORE: See where every KSI song and album has charted in the UK

Lads, to use a very 2014 phrase, Thick Of It has fully broken the internet...

KSI: I'm out here fighting demons online. When you've got a lot of haters and a lot of lovers listening, I guess it's going to create that exposure.

Trippie: They love the haters, they hate the lovers!

KSI: The trend is to hate me right now - I'm getting clowned left, right and centre - TikTok's been going crazy, X...but it is what it is. It's been nuts. I'm in the trenches, man, but we live another day!

Well it's looking like Thick Of It will be this week's highest new entry in the UK, so you're far from the trenches...

KSI: Oh wow, we'll take it. Let's go, baby!

Trippie: Let's go. That's a fat dub, twin!

How did the link-up come about in the first place, who reached out to who?

Trippie: He sent me the song, and I thought this sh*t was fire. I ain't gonna lie, I took a minute to do the record, but once I got out to where he was at I finished my verse right then and there, on the spot. We did the video two hours later, it was fire.

KSI: Bro, it was one of the most stressful things - getting you on the plane to England to record it. You getting on the plane, getting kicked off the plane...

Trippie: Oh my God, bro, I'm sorry!

KSI: Nah, we created this amazing piece of art anyway.

Trippie, what made you connect with this song so much when JJ sent it to you?

Trippie: The vibe definitely [reminds me of] that 2016/2017 era; the music me, Juice WRLD and XXXTENTACION were doing already. It feels like that pocket, it made me feel good that somebody's still doing this sound. It's fire, that sh*t was hard.

The song samples Red Hot Chili Peppers' 2006 track Snow (Hey Oh). That feels like quite an unexpected - but inspired - choice...

KSI: With me you can expect the unexpected. I just like trying new stuff.

Trippie: You're from that era, too...

KSI: I was in the studio yesterday working on another song, and that's also got a sample in it. People would be like 'wait, what?'. You never know what to expect from me, I like switching it up and being unpredictable, I never like doing the same thing over and over.

With this song blowing up the way it has, none of us expected it; especially because I've not done music in two years. It could've gone really well, or it could've stunk up the gaff. I said 'screw it, let's go with it,' and it just blew up, for several reasons...

One of those reasons being Drake, of course. There's talk online of him 'throwing shade' at the track by requesting it in Adin Ross's recent Kick stream, but then he went on to use it in an Instagram Reel. What's the deal?

KSI: The Drake thing was crazy, man. For him to even put the song on his Reel, that's huge. I just couldn't believe it, I was like 'what the hell?'. To be honest, I didn't actually know. I had several people message me like 'bro, Drake's used your song!'. I'd just woken up like 'yo, what?'. Then I saw it, and I was like 'mad!'.

I messaged him saying 'big up, thank you for using it,' and he was like 'yo, I had to, it gets the people going!'. That's sick, he's legit. I appreciate it.

WATCH KSI reveal Drake's reaction to Thick Of It:

Crypt's reacted to the track, too - have you seen his video?

KSI: I haven't seen it! I haven't seen any of the reactions, I'm trying to save them all for a video.

Well we won't spoil anything, but there's a lot of love for you...

KSI: And a lot of hate too, bro! But it's yin and yang, man, and we're just here to embrace it all.

MORE: See where every Trippie Redd song and album has charted in the UK

For the lovers, would you guys ever work on a full-length collaborative project together?

Trippie: It don't think it's not possible! We're great friends.

KSI: You never know, man. We've worked together before [on 2020's Wake Up Call] so, honestly, you never know. But we've had our ups and downs. Trippie, when you linked up with Jake Paul I wasn't happy, man!

Trippie: Nah, bro!

What does the rest of 2024 hold for you, lads? Any more new music?

KSI: For me, 2024 was supposed to be a preparation year. For the first six months I wanted to chill and relax; go on holiday with my friends, family and girlfriend. Then I've been in the studio working, just making sure I have bangers left, right and centre.

Things might happen, you never know. But, right now, this is a preparation year for 2025.

Trippie: I feel like the same's going on my way, too. I've been working on a lot of new sounds for a while; four months creating, like, 200 songs. I'm narrowing it down, building my team with a lot of cool friends who can help me put out the music. I'm legendary status, I need a little bit of help putting things out!

KSI ft. Trippie Redd's Thick Of It is out now via Atlantic Records UK.