Central Cee has firmly pitched his flag atop of UK rap’s mountain. After grinding for a decade, his rise appeared prompt with 2020’s viral smashes ‘Loading’ and ‘Day within the Life’, however the Shepherd’s Bush prodigy turned fleeting virality right into a record-breaking profession. Nonetheless impartial, he’s now dropped his debut album ‘Can’t Rush Greatness’, straddling the road between defiant confidence and uncooked self-reflection. Cench peels again the persona to take us on a uncommon, earnest journey of self-discovery to show why “follow makes excellent / I’m simply scratching the floor”.
‘Can’t Rush Greatness’ begins with a group of cocksure tracks as he defiantly defends his title as UK rap’s frontman. Whereas reflecting on his fast rise, he’s bashful and cocky about his success – and even brings in different rappers to boast concerning the fruits of the grind. Cench and 21 Savage are menacing overlords on the mafioso-style ‘GBP’, and he goes toe-to-toe with grime legend Skepta on the feverish Chicago drill-like ‘Ten’: “We’re those placing on west [London], not them / They acquired extra money than sense”.
However all this peacocking looks like a facade because the album progresses. We witness a uncommon sight: Cench getting introspective. ‘Prime Freestyle’ sees him unveil his ideas on the rap business (“label execs don’t care if we’re murderers, so long as your catalogue brings in income”), and he will get candid concerning the heights of fame with Dave on ‘CRG’. Mixing sombre piano with jumpy baile funk, Dave asks God: “why bless me if I’m a sinner?” whereas Cench acknowledges: “I’m in ache, however I’m not blaming / I’m simply saying”.
Cench isn’t simply lyrically increasing; he’s diversifying his sound, too. Whereas opening up about his infamous relationship with content material creator Madeline Argy, ‘Now We’re Strangers’ simply proves Cench is “greater than drill”. Bolstered by singer-songwriter Kamal’s velvety vocals and a featherlight guitar strum, the music is well the rapper’s most earnest ode to like.
In the direction of the tip of the file, Cench partially retreats to his braggadocious methods on ‘Stroll-in Wardrobe’ and ‘Should Be’ – however not for lengthy. ‘Don’t Know Anymore’ proves that we’re coping with a unique particular person altogether. Now not flashy and overconfident, the rapper self-evaluates – one thing that feels so alien in drill. He shares his flaws and offers objectives on how he can work on himself in hopes of breaking the cycle for another person like how music did for him: “Inform the youngers, ‘Keep at school’, however I wouldn’t be right here if I adopted the regulation.”
Sure, some duds ought to have been left off the album (‘Gen Z Luv’, ‘Fact In The Lies’, and even smash hit ‘BAND4BAND’), but it surely’s nonetheless well worth the wait. Central Cee may simply stay hidden behind his signature mystique, however as an alternative tells the story of a boy turned man all whereas on the world’s stage. No smoke and mirrors, the album is authentically Cench each step of the way in which.
Particulars
- Launch date: January 24, 2025
- Document label: CC4L/Columbia Information
