Songfacts®:

• KSI has transitioned from UK YouTube sensation to a veritable Renaissance man of the digital age. "Thick Of It" is a declaration of his rise from the pixelated realm of internet fame to the glittering heights of hitmaker, champion boxer and entrepreneur. The title suggests being "in the thick of it," a phrase that hints at KSI navigating the treacherous waters of public life and the pressures that come with it.
  
  "I always wanted to do a song where I talk about my life, what's going on, where I'm at and where I want to go," KSI told Clash magazine. "I've done a lot in the last ten years, so it's nice to be able to incorporate that into a song. Bring the listeners up to speed."
• The track is a showcase of self-assuredness, a cold confidence echoed in the verse of guest artist Trippie Redd. While KSI's lyrics lean toward his public persona and accomplishments, Trippie Redd swoops in with an emotional counterpoint exploring the darker corners of fame and personal struggle.
• "Thick Of It" marks the third official collaboration between KSI and Trippie Redd, who first joined forces in January 2020 for "Wake Up Call." Later that year, they teamed up again for a remix featuring UK artists P Money and TBJZL.
• The song's release came amid KSI's feud with fellow YouTuber DanTDM, sparked by DanTDM dissing KSI's lunch kit brand Lunchly. When KSI tried to use a faux apology as a promotional tactic for the track, it backfired spectacularly, leading to a wave of ridicule on social media as people gleefully mocked the "cringey" lyrics of KSI's verse.
  
  The song was released on October 3, 2024, and KSI acknowledged the roasting in a subsequent video titled, "I'm getting cooked..." with an air of bemusement, perhaps recognizing that all publicity is good publicity in the realm of social media.
• Ray Michael Djan Jr., known for his work with BTS, produced the song. The producer slipped in a sample of Red Hot Chili Peppers' 2006 hit "Snow (Hey Oh)."
• KC Locke (Ed Sheeran, Stormzy, Jorja Smith) directed the music video, which kicks off in the desolate, icy expanses of Antarctica, where KSI, encased in a block of ice, is dramatically resurrected to embark on his rap odyssey. The visual proceeds to chart KSI's dominance symbolically in both the music industry and the business world.
• The collaboration came about when KSI sent Trippie the song; the American rapper immediately wanted to be part of it. "The vibe definitely [reminds me of] that 2016/2017 era; the music me, Juice WRLD and XXXTENTACION were doing already," he told Official Charts. "It feels like that pocket, it made me feel good that somebody's still doing this sound. It's fire, that s--t was hard."