Does Central Cee Have What It Takes To Reach G.O.A.T Status?

The last few years have been huge for Central Cee.

Sparked by his breakout hit “Loading”, the West London rapper has had hit after hit, climbing to the top of the rap game in the process. He’s also found considerable success in the States and Europe, playing roadblock shows and earning the kudos of his international peers. To his credit, he’s done it all without sacrificing who he is as an artist. There have been no awkward, cut-and-shut pop collabs, no cash-grab dance tunes, and he’s rarely seen on TV. 

Central Cee is one of the best rappers to come out of the British Isles, due in part to the spotlight he’s helped put on the scene more recently—but what will it take for him to reach ultimate GOAT status? What golden rules should he adhere to if he’s to transition from top table in 2024 to the Mount Rushmore of UK rappers? We sat down to thrash out five mantras he needs to keep in mind to maintain his status and achieve immortality without sacrificing integrity.

That Independent Spirit? Keep It Alive

Let me start off by saying this: Central Cee deserves every penny of the rumoured £20 million record deal he signed with Columbia/Sony last year. When things began to blow up for him in 2020 off the back of his “Day In The Life” single, Cench was being backed financially by his manager, Bello, and as most artists on their rise will know, it’s not easy not having that machine behind you to help fuel your dreams, so what Bello and team managed to do with the resources they had deserves high praise—it’s a journey to be studied. The independent grind is one that I believe every artist should go through before signing with a major; even when Cench signed his publishing deal a few years back, he always kept that independent spirit alive, from the actual music (even pop-leaning efforts like “Doja” and “Commitment Issues” stayed true) through to the way he dresses/presents himself to the world. As long as he never loses that essence and doesn’t get lost in the sauce like so many of his predecessors, he will be just fine. Now, I’m not saying he should continue to rock Nike tracksuits to every awards ceremony, but it’s all about the spirit and making sure it never dims on every level of the artistic journey. —Joseph ‘JP’ Patterson

Pick Features Wisely

So far, Central Cee has excelled in this category. He doesn’t do a lot of collabs, but the ones he’s chosen so far have been absolutely bang on the money: “Sprinter” with Dave, the “On The Radar” freestyle with Drake, and “H.Y.B” with J. Cole and Bas were exemplary moves. Cench recently connected with Lil Baby on “BAND4BAND” and, as fun as the track was, it was as close as he’s come to a misstep. The track didn’t harm either rapper’s brand by any stretch, but it didn’t really need to happen and they weren’t the best fit. Central Cee’s flow is punchy and his diction clear, whereas Lil Baby’s flow is fluid and melodic. Sometimes a contrast can work well, but it didn’t quite match up here. It might be catchy to a lot of us now after all the social media activity around it, but when you first heard it, what did you really think? That initial reaction is so important to note. If Cench wants to keep a clean sheet, he’ll need to maintain that impeccable scrutiny when it comes to picking collabs. Being tactical and political when it comes to collaboration can be a plus in an artists’ career, but CC already knows that. —James Keith

Switch Up Flows, Never The Formula

In a post-Stormzy world, it’s arguable that a debut rap album hasn’t been as anticipated as Central Cee’s here in the UK. At least for me, because he’s built such a name for himself over the years, I’ll be running up the project the day it drops. I’ve become accustomed to the way he puts music together, but there’s always room for experimentation. Cench has largely stayed true to his formula—that similar drill flow and patterned lyrics over addictive earworms like “Doja”—and its impact is such that it’s brought him to the brink of superstardom. But a GOAT is a lot of things to a lot of people. It is someone who can adapt their style to new ideas and sounds. I mentioned Stormzy earlier; his debut album, Gang Signs & Prayer, contained so much variety—the bangers, the love songs, the calm and introspective tracks—that it set him apart as a musician devoted to his craft. Central Cee could benefit from a similar kind of variance, because what brought him to the dance might not always keep him there. We’ve seen on recent drops “I Will” (with more rap-inspired flows) and “CC Freestyle” (a straight grime track) that he is capable of expanding delivery into new styles and cadences, and that he really is a student of the game. Let’s hear more of these switch-ups come album day. Not only would this make for a refreshing project, but also prove to the doubters that his musicality runs deep, that drill isn’t his be-all and end-all. He’s more than capable of completing the task. —Yemi Abiade

Recruit The Right Team For That Classic Album

To create a classic album, Central Cee needs to recruit either an executive producer who can provide guidance and help him curate the overall direction of the project, or one central (!) producer who understands his sound and can help him formulate a cohesive body of work. Young Chencs immediately comes to mind for the solo producer. They have created a number of hits together, such as “Retail Therapy” and “6 For 6”, as well a handful of bangers on the 23 mixtape; he’s someone who just gets Cench and is able to map out different soundscapes for him to lace and find new pockets in. Alternatively, Cench could call on his good friend, Dave, to exec-produce the set. A deft producer himself, Santan has proven his skills countless times over, and after he exec-produced Fredo’s second album, 2021’s Money Can’t Buy Happiness, it’s clear he knows how to work with other producers to make a brilliant end product. Cench has the potential to one day reach GOAT status globally, but to do so, he needs that classic album. We’ve already seen what he can do across his Wild West and 23 mixtapes, both of which were solid drops but still room for improvement. A lot is now riding on this debut album, but I have faith that when the time is right, he will deliver. I’m ready, waiting. —Mimi The Music Blogger

Roots. Never Forget Them.

Cench has always given props to those that came before him and helped lay the foundations for him to succeed today, like Skepta, like Jme, and many other figures who came up early from the British underground. Where some artists, like Chip, Dizzee, Aitch and AJ Tracey, have gone wrong in the past is that they reach a certain level of fame and quickly forget the sounds and scenes that essentially birthed them (all have gone onto mainstream platforms and said they no longer want parts in it, which I’ve always found strange). It might not happen immediately, but eventually, this will have an effect on how some people perceive you—it may even hurt your career: most of the previously mentioned artists are still trying to climb their way back to a level of prominence. Roots are important; showing respect for where you came from will always work in your favour.
—Joseph 'JP' Patterson