Tobias John "Tobi" Brown (born 8 April 1993), better known as TBJZL, is an English YouTuber, streamer, and influencer. He is a member and co-founder of the British YouTube group the Sidemen.[6] He is the co-owner of XIX Vodka, Sidemen Clothing, restaurant chain Sides, and cereal brand Best Breakfasts.
In 2019, Brown was listed as the 38th most influential online creator in the United Kingdom by The Sunday Times.[6] As of January 2025[update], his main YouTube channel had over 5.01 million subscribers and 567 million video views.[4] Brown has also released music mononymously, and in 2020, he released his debut single "Destined for Greatness", which peaked at number 31 on the UK Singles Chart and number 33 on the Irish Singles Chart.
Early life
Tobias John Brown was born on 8 April 1993 in Hackney, London, to a working-class family of Nigerian heritage.[1] He attended St. Dominic's Catholic Primary School from 1997 until 2004, and then attended Bexley Grammar School, where he met future fellow Sidemen member Josh Bradley.[1] Brown later completed an honours degree in computing at Coventry University.[1]
YouTube career
Brown joined YouTube in 2011 while at university after he saw Josh gaining traction on the platform and then decided to become a full-time YouTuber after university.[1][4] He uploads video game commentaries, most notably of the FIFA and NBA 2K video game series, as well as football challenges, vlogs, and comedy-style videos.[6][7][8]
On 19 October 2013, Brown and four other British YouTubers formed the entertainment collective Ultimate Sidemen, later shortened to simply Sidemen. Since 2014, the group has consisted of seven British YouTubers: Vik Barn (Vikkstar123), Josh Bradley (Zerkaa), Harry Lewis (W2S), Simon Minter (Miniminter), JJ Olatunji (KSI), Ethan Payne (Behzinga), and Tobi Brown (TBJZL).[9] The group produces online videos, consisting of challenges, sketches, and video-game commentary, as well as selling exclusive Sidemen merchandise.[10][11]
In September 2019, Brown was listed as the 38th most influential online creator in the United Kingdom by The Sunday Times.[6]
Music career
In December 2019, Brown released "The Gift" with the rest of the Sidemen, reaching number 77 on the UK Singles Chart.[12][13]
Brown released his debut single, "Destined for Greatness", with his brother Manny featuring his sister Janellé on 7 February 2020. The song charted at number 31 on the UK Singles Chart, making it Brown's first UK top 40 single.[3][14] Elsewhere, "Destined for Greatness" debuted at number 18 in New Zealand and on the Scottish Singles Chart,[15][16] and peaked at number 33 on the Irish Singles Chart.[17] He later featured in a remix of his fellow Sidemen member KSI's song "Wake Up Call" by producer Yoshi with American rapper Trippie Redd and British rapper P Money, which was released on 6 March 2020.[18]
Brown was featured on "This Year" by P Money and producer Silencer, which was released on 19 March 2021.[19] Brown released his second single, "Rhythm & Vibes", also with his brother Manny, on 20 August 2021.[20][21]
In March 2022, he featured in rapper DTG's song "Just Do It".[22] On 5 December 2022, Brown, KSI, and Vikkstar123 released a Christmas-themed single titled "Christmas Drillings" under the Sidemen banner featuring British rapper Jme, which charted at number 3 in the UK.[23][24]
Brown and the Sidemen have founded multiple businesses throughout their online careers. In 2014 the group launched a clothing brand under the Sidemen Clothing banner.[25] In November 2021, they founded a restaurant chain known as Sides in collaboration with Reef.[26] In October 2022, they launched their own vodka brand known as XIX Vodka.[27] in March 2024, they launched a breakfast cereal brand known as Best Cereal in collaboration with Mornflake.[28]
ILLVZN
In June 2018, Brown founded a streetwear brand called ILLVZN, with the official launch in February 2019.[29][30]
Baller League
In November 2024, it was announced that he's set to manage one of the 12 teams in the upcoming Baller League, a six-a-side football league.[31]
^"How To Be Behzinga". YouTube. October 2020. Archived from the original on 29 June 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
