Written by Samuel Kaplan
For today’s review, I wanted to take a different approach and spotlight a song and story currently making waves in the mainstream. At the start of the month, KSI, the well-known internet influencer and personality, dropped a new single titled “Thick Of It.” The song was met with swift criticism and widespread disapproval. In my view, this negative reception was justified. Lyrically, “Thick Of It” lacks depth, and the production feels like something out of a Disney Channel movie—overly polished but devoid of substance.
Despite this, the overwhelming volume of negative feedback was striking. Much of it stemmed from the release of the official music video that accompanied the track. The video is bloated, overproduced, and gimmicky, only reinforcing the song's lack of redeeming qualities.
The track features Trippie Redd, and while his contribution has moments, it ultimately feels forced and disingenuous. His verse comes across as a paid feature rather than a genuine collaboration. Surprisingly, Trippie even makes an appearance in the video, which doesn’t add much to the experience.
What truly captured the internet’s attention, though, was KSI’s response to the countless reaction videos from other creators, most of which echoed the negative sentiment. KSI visibly struggled with the criticism, and in several instances, he expressed his hurt feelings over the widespread disdain for the song. During a livestream with Adin Ross, he notably mentioned how he poured his heart and soul into the track, adding to the disappointment he’s feeling from the harsh feedback.
Fast forward to today, just over a week later, and ironically, “Thick Of It” has managed to rack up a few accolades. The music video has amassed 22 million views, the song itself has over 12 million streams on Spotify, and, most notably, it has landed at number 84 on the Billboard Hot 100. Was this all a clever strategy by a savvy internet creator to boost streams and views? I don’t think so. We live in a meme-driven internet culture where moments like this come and go. I believe this song’s shelf life is short and that it will fade from relevance soon.
That being said, I encourage everyone to make up their own mind and give the song a listen. I’m likely with the majority in my opinion, but everyone’s entitled to their own take. It remains a fascinating phenomenon that this track went from being TikTok’s laughingstock to charting on Billboard. If this was KSI’s and the label’s plan all along, kudos to them. Sometimes, the illusion is more powerful than reality.
You can stream “Thick Of It” here: