Central Cee has firmly pitched his flag atop of UK rap’s mountain. After grinding for a decade, his rise seemed instant with 2020’s viral smashes ‘Loading’ and ‘Day in the Life’, but the Shepherd’s Bush prodigy turned fleeting virality into a record-breaking career. Still independent, he’s now dropped his debut album ‘Can’t Rush Greatness’, straddling the line between defiant confidence and raw self-reflection. Cench peels back the persona to take us on a rare, earnest journey of self-discovery to prove why “practice makes perfect / I’m just scratching the surface”.
‘Can’t Rush Greatness’ begins with a collection of cocksure tracks as he defiantly defends his title as UK rap’s frontman. While reflecting on his rapid rise, he’s bashful and cocky about his success – and even brings in other rappers to boast about 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 the ones putting on west [London], not them / They got more money than sense”.
But all this peacocking feels like a facade as the album progresses. We witness a rare sight: Cench getting introspective. ‘Top Freestyle’ sees him unveil his thoughts on the rap industry (“label execs don’t care if we’re murderers, as long as your catalogue brings in revenue”), and he gets candid about 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?” while Cench acknowledges: “I’m in pain, but I’m not blaming / I’m just saying”.
Cench isn’t just lyrically expanding; he’s diversifying his sound, too. While opening up about his notorious relationship with content creator Madeline Argy, ‘Now We’re Strangers’ easily proves Cench is “more than drill”. Bolstered by singer-songwriter Kamal’s velvety vocals and a featherlight guitar strum, the song is easily the rapper’s most earnest ode to love.
Towards the end of the record, Cench partially retreats to his braggadocious ways on ‘Walk-in Wardrobe’ and ‘Must Be’ – but not for long. ‘Don’t Know Anymore’ proves that we are dealing with a different person altogether. No longer flashy and overconfident, the rapper self-evaluates – something that feels so alien in drill. He shares his flaws and gives goals on how he can work on himself in hopes of breaking the cycle for someone else like how music did for him: “Tell the youngers, ‘Stay in school’, but I wouldn’t be here if I followed the law.”
Yes, some duds should have been left off the album (‘Gen Z Luv’, ‘Truth In The Lies’, and even smash hit ‘BAND4BAND’), but it’s still worth the wait. Central Cee could easily remain hidden behind his signature mystique, but instead tells the story of a boy turned man all while on the world’s stage. No smoke and mirrors, the album is authentically Cench every step of the way.
