Without a doubt Central Cee is a prominent name in UK Rap, not only satisfying young people across Britain, consistently appearing in playlists, social feeds, and music-related discussions online. However, his come-up was not overnight. In fact, it was 2014 when a baby-faced 16-year-old Cee delivered a recently removed freestyle for Charlie Sloth’s, Fire In The Streets series.
Born in West London he introduced himself to music at the tender age of 8, utilising his Dad’s old school hip-hop collection. This would be a catalyst for him beginning a fully-fledged career for himself. In 2020, we saw him take the scene literally by storm racking up more than 30 million streams in addition to his first Top 40 single, all as an independent artist.
Showing early signs of potential, his 2015 “Street Heat” Freestyle projected signs of introspectiveness and ruminating punchlines. Appearance is the only noticeable difference to the artist we see today. Possessing self-confidence, and with a natural swagger, Cee flexes his transparency revealing snapshots of an upbringing full of hardship over J.Cole’s “A Tale Of 2 Citiez” instrumental. “She saw my DP, she try move swift, it’s clear she wants the inches so get up out my section” a witty ode to the highly regarded drill-collective Section Boyz, around the time of the monumental drill influx.
Months after, Cee delivered another freestyle alongside fellow West-Londoner MoWest. The 7-minute showcase was released on BL@CKBOX, an emerging platform at the time that would later host talents such as Dave, Abra Cadabra, and Potter Payper. The freestyle sees the pair go back and forth over Tupac instrumentals which were moulded to his earlier flows. The comment section hosts a surge of fans pleading for more recognition for Cee, yearning for new music. They were in for a treat. “I ain’t tryna be 18 in my Mums house, so I’m on streets from sundown to sundown.” – evidently full of grit from the jump.
Spending his next years developing his sound, one of Central Cee’s early music videos was released in 2016; “Pull Up”, a diluted reflection of his persona today intended for his female audience. “Pull up, skrrr, would you ride for me?, Tell me now would you die for me?, All these other girls wanna ride for free, Put my hands where your eyes can see”. Once again magnifying his versatility, he focused on his melodic contributions, an unanticipated sound for his always-growing audience. Patently going through self-proclaimed development stages.
Journeying forward, 2017 was a productive year for Cench. The year included a string of single releases, “Display” “It Ain’t My Fault” and “Wavy Yute”. The releases imprinted his name in the underground scene prompting performances across local showcases and pop-up events. By now, a foundation of fans were captivated by his infectious melodies and memorable cadences which manifested a headline show that year.
With an audience already hooked on his alluring vocals, he shifted the soundscape of production. A noticeable difference for “Running Man” is the trap-influenced production accommodating the infective, repetitive chorus that was intended to echo in the listeners head. The polished visuals this time appeared on his own channel for the first time and fans were greeted with a matured-faced Cench who teamed up with renowned director Suave. “I can’t show love to a hoe, definite no, I just got paid for a show, I did this all on my own, shout out my bros it was just us in the cold.” At this moment he levelled up with his confidence and it shows in the clarity in his voice.
Clearly on a quest to hone in on his sound, he teamed up with fellow underground front runner, Yung Fume, to remix the previously released single “Wake Up”. The collaboration speaks for itself, catering for the bridge between the underground and beyond, the two display their chemistry mirroring one and others cadences. Not only did the link-up give him exposure to a new audience but it confirmed his ability to construct those addictive hooks we all know and love today.
The beginning of a prolific run in 2019 began with “Transition”, a trap anthem with a motivational tone, spreading words of progression and struggle – inspired by his laboured past. Providing a mantra; the message is to get the bag. “CEO make the decision, and now I’m in a different division, Cench I’m self-sufficient, started in the T”.
Continuing to stretch himself further afield, he teamed up with South London artist Kairo Keys for well-acclaimed banger “Back2Back” which currently sits at 800,000+ streams. Months later, he released “Jugg” featuring Bambino snowballing his impressive releases for the year just before topping the year off with one final release.
What better way to sign off the year with a dual-part “Next Up?” freestyle. The first part of the freestyle is good, but the second, bulletproof! A new Central Cee, bolder than ever guaranteeing to hook first-time-listeners with clarity-filled delivery and thought-provoking bars.
Following a productive 2019, Cee was still on a quest to drop his breakout song. Making arguably the best music chess-move to date, “Day In The Life” was uploaded to GRM and the rest was history. “Day in the life, Let’s see if you really trap, Turn off the autotune, Let’s hear how you really rap” literally giving himself advice in real-time. Going hand in hand, the Frosty-produced track helped shape the infectious hit that would soon be the soundtrack of block-parties and Tier-2 gatherings across Britain. Dropping in the midst of a global pandemic, it was perfect timing for Cee to blow up, manifesting a new puppy-eyed audience anticipating the next drop.
Following up with a bang, “Molly”, his second release of the year. Joining forces with infamous drill-producer Chris Rich Beats, a 17-year-old student from Cardiff, this was the summer anthem for most of us. “Put my mum through too much drama, Maybe I shoulda went Colly, Too much time in the trap, But now, when I shop, I fill that trolley”. Proving that “Day In The Life” wasn’t just a fluke, “Molly” proved was here to stay. Cee was now 2 for 2, and edged closer to finding his new, refined, signature style.
Shortly after Kenny Allstar labeled him as a star in the making during his self-reflective, “Mad About Bars” freestyle; and Kenny doesn’t miss with his predictions. By now his run was pristine, all he needed was the icing on the cake. There was no surprise when it reached a million views within days. Reviving the drill-influenced sound, Cee turned to Watford native Hargo, the killer drill producer who already had major placements under his belt including Poundz “Opp Thot”.
Continuing his upward trajectory, his most notable release to date “Loading” was released in October 2020. Produced by platinum producer Hargo, the contagious track received a game-changing co-sign from the Starboy himself, Wiz Kid. Central Cee who was now on a path of destruction, releasing three consecutive bangers, the nation was anticipating a project from him.
Returning from a brief hiatus, Cench returned in 2021 with “Pinging” which he also used to unveil his forthcoming project Wild West. It was revealed that the project would consist of 14 tracks, and would be without any features, so the audience would be treated to an abundance of uninterrupted Central Cee.
His early promise has translated into a near-perfect run which began in 2020. In fact, his persistent contributions have helped his sound evolve, which has created significant anticipation for his forthcoming project Wild West. With additional co-signs from some of the scenes biggest names, we’re all excited to see what Cench has in store for us.