Since 2020, London rapper Central Cee has proven himself a hitmaker. His early singles Day in the Life and Loading have been streamed more than half a billion times, drawing listeners in with a combination of high-energy verses and drill-influenced beats, while 2022’s tongue-in-cheek Doja became a TikTok hit thanks to its bravado-laden R&B feel; 2023’s anthemic Sprinter topped the UK charts for 10 weeks.
On his long-awaited debut album, Can’t Rush Greatness, Cee taps into that hit-making sensibility but struggles to maintain momentum across 17 tracks. Thunderous 808 kicks and snapping snares appear throughout, bolstering numbers such as Top Freestyle and the Skepta-featuring Ten to provide the perfect backdrop for Cee’s lively verses celebrating his fame and fortune, but the cumulative effect means that tracks bleed into one another. When he tries to branch into different sonic palettes the results are uneven. Walk in Wardrobe is too minimal in its rattling percussion and piano chords, yet Now We’re Strangers showcases a standout downtempo vocal performance over R&B guitar. A debut that gestures tantalisingly to a different side of Central Cee’s sound but which stays mired in his usual performance.
