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Central Cee spent the better part of three years finding the footing he now claims in the rap spotlight. For the most part, he’s achieved that by positioning himself alongside household names, both in the UK and stateside. His 2022 hit record “Doja” was named after the pop star with the same name. Then came “Sprinter” and Split Decision with fellow UK rapper and Mercury Prize winner Dave, both of which preceded Cench’s “On The Radar Freestyle” with Drake. Subsequent releases paired Cench with J. Cole, Lil Baby, 21 Savage, Asake, Ice Spice, PinkPantheress, and The Kid Laroi. Soon enough, there wasn’t a soundscape that Central Cee hadn’t found himself in. Over those three years, he demonstrated the necessary patience in building toward the “greatness” he aims for on his debut album Can’t Rush Greatness.
Amid the 17 songs on Can’t Rush Greatness, Central Cee raps with reaffirmed confidence and self-assurance. His tone is less of the brash and confrontational “I told you so” and more of the grateful soldier emerging from the ruins of battle to a victory he prayed he’d secure. “Came from the mud and my whole hood witnessed / Now all the kids know anything’s possible,” he raps on “Up North.” The sentiment remains the same on “Limitless” as Cee unloads introspective raps over stirring vocals from fellow UK singer Sekou (an addition so good that it could be mistaken for a classic sample). “I still didn’t lose ambition / When the shower never got warm and the ceiling leakin’, the roof was drippin’,” Cee says with an icy bluntness. Can’t Rush Greatness celebrates the confirmation that hard times are now in the rearview mirror, an acknowledgment best made for a debut album.
What elevates Can’t Rush Greatness is the balance on multiple fronts that Cee maintains throughout the album. UK drill and its notes of brashness and aggression on “Band4Band” with Lil Baby the Skepta-assisted “Ten” are complementary to the introspective title track featuring Dave and album closer “Don’t Know Anymore.” Meanwhile, the undercurrent of Latin music on “Gata” adds to the album’s diversity, as does the R&B-leaning – to Cench’s standards at least – “Truths In The Lies.” The vulnerable anecdotes of heartbreak on “Now We’re Strangers” add life to the album in the same way that tough-talking stories of the streets that “Up North” provide. Truths about success on “Top Freestyle” rival his requests to be acknowledged appropriately on “5 Star,” a record that earned an understandable diss from UK spitter Aitch, whom Cench distastefully name-drops on the song. With Can’t Rush Greatness, Central Cee showcases his winding road to the top and the adept journeyman he’s become both through sounds and life experiences.
Central Cee’s debut signals better days in terms of success for UK rappers in the States. On “Walk In Wardrobe,” he quips portentously, “Top ten in my scene, that’s еvident / When I relеase, I compete with Americans.” As of this writing, projections for Can’t Rush Greatness place it in the top 10 of the upcoming Billboard album charts, a first for a rapper based in the UK. Paired with a presumed chart-topping bow on the UK album charts, this feat makes Cench a star on both sides of the Atlantic — and opens the door for similar success as other well-known UK stars like Dave, Skepta, Stormzy, and others ready their returns with upcoming albums. Cench’s influence on pushing rappers to find success outside the UK is to be acknowledged, and as he notes on “No Introduction,” the proof is already in the pudding. “If it weren’t for the work that I put in Paris, none of these guys would’ve gone to Europe,” he brags.
Can’t Rush Greatness is the product of trusting the process, as the album arrives nearly three years after Central Cee first made a splash with most of the world. This period extends to almost four years for early supporters who saw Central Cee’s potential with “Loading” from his 2021 debut mixtape Wild West. Things are much calmer for Cench nowadays; that is, the UK rhymer can rest assured knowing that his spot in rap is cemented and his future in the genre is promising. Can’t Rush Greatness is an early rap album of the year contender. Central Cee’s exact destination on the scale of greatness remains to be seen, but there’s no doubt that he’s heading in the right direction.
Can’t Rush Greatness is out now via Columbia Records/CC4L Limited. Find out more information here.
