Is Central Cee the Future of Rap?
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- čas přidán 22. 05. 2024
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Oakley Neil H. T. Caesar-Su (born 4 June 1998), known professionally as Central Cee, is a British rapper and songwriter from Shepherd's Bush, London. He rose to prominence in 2020 with the release of the singles "Day in the Life" and "Loading". His first mixtape Wild West was released on 12 March 2021, which debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart. His second mixtape 23 was released on 25 February 2022 and debuted atop the UK Albums Chart.
Central Cee achieved further success with the single "Doja" in July 2022, which peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. He released his first major-label EP No More Leaks in October 2022. In June 2023, he released the single "Sprinter" with Dave, which became his first UK number-one single and preceded their collaborative EP Split Decision.
00:00 Intro
01:40 Early Life
05:49 Central Cee's Rise to Fame/Early Music
08:30 Central Cee's Big Break
10:54 Wild West
13:55 23
18:58 Conclusion/UK Rappers Discussion
#volksgeist #centralcee #ukrap #drill - Zábava
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you didn't include the UK playlist mentioned at the end of the video in the description:)
Pls include the playlist Philip 🙏
You forgot the PLAYLISTTTTT
I'm proud to see how far the UK has come I remember when 6 years ago UK rap was taking as a joke now it is finally being recognized.
Bro, 6 years ago UK rap was great and it’s continued to get better. Pre 2016 though it was absolutely dead. Skepta making Konnichiwa, and Kano making Made in the Manor absolutely revitalised UK rap and since then I’d say more great UK rappers have blown up than great US rappers by an absolute landslide. Other than JID and Denzel Curry (who wouldn’t be top 5 UK) I’d say ten to 15 UK rappers are better than the next best American, Little Simz, Dave, Fredo, J Hus, Slowthai, Headie One, Stormzy, Loyle Carner, Avelino, AJ Tracey, Knucks, Digga D, Central Cee, Lancey Foux, Tion Wayne, Pa Salieu, Young Adz, Bandokay, Meekz, MoStack etc and the only one to get in XXL Freshmen was Stefflon Don who isn’t all that. The US hasn’t been paying attention but the UK are way better now than the US imo, and I’d say Dave and Little Simz are an absolute world class level now particularly and aren’t far off the US legends who are still making classics to this day like Kendrick Lamar and Nas as of right now
what a load of cap it’s always been respected
Lol 6 years ago UK Rap was already respected and even had charted in the USA. The UK drill sound had already influenced rappers globally for example. Yes I know drill is from Chicago but I’m specially talking about the UK drill sound before anyone comes for me.
@@barry4649 skepta really popularized drill in America but it was a lil before 2016
U guys disagreeing but outside da uk our rap was a joke
This was a very respectful and articulate take on Cench's rise and the broader UK hip hop scene.
It is truly good to see an American with a deep understanding of the UK music landscape showing appreciation.
I believe Central Cee will cross and become a household name in the US as well, due to the fact that his marketing strategy is geared towards global reach.
_is it tho?_ I'm not really family with it but I don't think this goes that deep
_is it tho?_ I'm not really family with it but I don't think this goes that deep
When you were talking about 23 you forgot to mention "Eurovision" a track where cench featured italian, french and spanish artists rapping in theyre languages. He also has tracks with other european artists from different countries which makes him even more popular in europe outside of the Uk.
It seems like european rappers collab internationally (inside europe) a lot lately in general. One of the best examples is Headie One's No Borders project
No matter if you love him or hate him, he’s a smart and real rapper with a beautiful way of storytelling and bringing variety of music together. ❤
I've been following Cench since early 2020. It's actually mad how big he is now. I can't lie though, despite liking his music, I do believe his social media presence is what made me become a fan in the first place. In terms of his fashion sense, ig posts, aura, etc. I just remember first encountering his content & thinking this guys aesthetic is so fucking dope. I love his photoshoot campaigns also, he makes such a good model. Us, girlies just love Cench haha.. He's just that guy
Cench also does have a song with an American Rapper? Oh Gheesy - Startn up, this was dropped in 2021 lol
I been listening to him since like mid 2021 its cool to see him get so big
Cench also collaborated with Italian and French rappers during the Wild West run which also increased his popularity in Europe and sold out a 7k venue in Milan on his last tour
People forget how Central Cee is also getting mainstream in a lot of Europe. I'm in the Netherlands and can confidently say more people here listen to Central Cee than a lot of American rappers
Cench is commercial. He has a commercial appeal most U.K. rappers can’t come close to touching. A lot of people still find drill records aggressive and intimidating but he found a commercial formula that breeds marketable radio hits that travel further than his peers. He’s also handsome, which gives him a heartthrob appeal to many female listeners who otherwise wouldn’t be listening to drill music at all. I know many girls who couldn’t name me 3 drill rappers but they all follow Central Cee and listen to his music 🎵
Skepta, Stormzy and Dave all have a commercial appeal, but it’s surprising with Central Cee because he done it with drill
@@tonyar952 Dave's lyrics can't be properly understood by people outside uk.cee's main ting's his marketing.his manager Ybeez is a genius
I agree! He's very marketable and palatable for a number of reasons, and just talented enough to warrant the attention.
Violent drill music coming from rappers outside of America in places like the UK or Australia will never be taken seriously, and it shouldn't be. No one in the US cares about rappers beefing in some random part of the UK or Australia. Central Cee isn't like that and that's why his successful. The best era of US rap was also the least violent era for rappers. People should focus more on the music and not some unrealistic image they want to portray.
Also Central Cee collaborated with European rap artists and toured and featured with popular French and Italian artists.
@@mrt445 that’s when I got into Cench, when he collabed with the French and Italian scenes. It really made him stand out, I thought “this guy is moving differently, let me pay attention”. It was another great marketing move by his team.
I’m a 29 year old from Bronx NYC, we LOVE central Cee !
Cause NY and LDN are part of the tech fleece brotherhood😂🤝🏼
@@beezo2382 lol
@@beezo2382tktv 😂
his old music is definitely reflective of what was popular at the time in the uk. it is very reminiscent of geko and ndubz
he's half guyanese
grew up influenced by a lot of guyanese culture
his dad is half chinese-guyanese and half arawak-guyanese
Yes
Phillip thank you for putting on uk rap to the US. We appreciate you!
Bro my mum listens to Central Cee now and I never even put her on, the reach he has is crazy and the fact that he made drill mainstream is astonishing.
Yo, 079 me, I can hook her up
@@MyANTHEMS 💀
Santan Dave is one of the most important and influential artists of our time
Please do skepta next his rise with jme is insane and the way he broke into the American scene was amazing from London in the uk centreal cee is quite mid to me but sprinter with Dave is insane
Day in the life was literally the tune where he made his statement about his music, he of course knew all that old stuff was out there and knew what people was saying about it, he had to switch it up to get to the top
Great vid, I’m not a massive Cench fan but I’ve been saying he'll be the first UK artist to go mainstream in the US, his marketing and artistry style is so versatile, there's enough for everybody in his music
Great to see you giving love to Knucks. Alpha Place is such an astoundingly great album.
I think what it really comes down to is that Cench is absolutely determined to reach as many markets as possible with his music and used to collab with foreign language rappers from Spain and France to get big in mainland Europe and is now trying to make it in America but others like Dave could give less of a shit about that because they’re already made from what they sell in the UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia etc (Dave isn’t the best example because he seems to have a lot of collabs with US rappers such as Jack Harlow, Tyler the Creator, Kendrick Lamar, JID etc all lined up)
I agree whole heartedly. I also feel like UK artists are more experimental and that’s something I can always appreciate from an artist .
bro stop cappin, Dave don't have a song with Jack Harlow
@@captaintoet1983 it wouldn’t surprise me if one came out soon. They’re weirdly good friends and there’s a video of them playing ping pong together from last year
@@barry4649 I see I see, I misread, my bad.
You're right that's why I like babygang and he's an Italian/marrochian rapper because he's like breath of fresh air in rap
Facts fr Baby Gang is so good 🔥
Whilst not a major point I think it’s one worth mentioning. Central Cee has done collabs with a lot of European rappers such as Rondasosa from Italy and frequent collaborator Ashe 22 from France, giving him a fanbase across Europe rather than just the uk
People think that he blew up just cause sprinter and that Dave is on that track , he literally had many other popular songs before that 😂
Brother you are putting so much respect on the UK scene I love it, to include Loyle Carner who personally I don't know anyone else who listens to him.
Also it needs to be said Dave is the guy, so multifacted in his talents, there are videos of him spitting rawness when he was like 16
Just found out today Dave is literally a classically trained pianist too.
Amazing video. I loved the edit and the storytelling. Keep it up 👍
When I lived in the US, I had never even heard of Central Cee. Now, after living in Europe, not even the UK, but Europe, for 1 year, I can say I'm a mega fan of this man. It's astonishing how much of your music taste is influenced by your geographical location!
It’s not always about breaking into US Rap, Cench has shown that
Honestly I believe CC could be the start of something
If Eminem opened the door for White rappers in the late 90s,maybe CC could be the one to open it for UK Rap
Merch looks great bro, thanks for all your videos !
I remember following Central Cee when his next up song dropped in 2019, maybe around late November. So glad that more Americans are starting to accept UK music, although it is annoying that most of them only know Doja and no other songs.
BAAABE WAKE UP VOLKSGEIST CENTRAL CEE VIDEO DROPPED!!! fr tho ive been listening to cench since wild west here in the states and UK rap for about as long as i started getting interested in music around 2016 or so seeing the shoutouts to all these guys like dave, knucks, etc along with cench is super cool, ive been trying to do my part in bridging that gap in showing these guys to my friends and such. you really put everything i love about cench and UK rap as a whole into words so thanks for that, keep up the good work king
These shirts are beautiful I’m definitely copping one of both. Only the best quality from Volksgeist fr
Hey Philip! I'm a long time fan of your content and let me tell you that this video was one of your best in a while. Sometimes I feel like you're so serious in your videos and seeing you smile and make some humorous points such as the UK memes really livened up the tone. I think your writing and editing are top tier as always, but it was just so great to see you having a little more fun with your delivery and tonally the video just felt so much more alive and relaxed. I don't like to give feedback when it's not requested, but I think that those little moments of humor and you laughing really made your commentary feel so much more human. I know my opinion is worthless, but as a fan, I'd love to see you continue to include those elements in your future vids. I appreciate everything you do and am always so amazed at how consistently incredible your content is. Keep up the amazing work!
Cench is more popular overseas then a lot of US rappers who are considered more "popular" in the US, usually how it works with international artists and he is exploding right now and has been for a while
In all reality central cee caps no more than the standard rapper, in the UK it’s all killers rapping on drill beats so they gonna hate on bro
there’s been a leak that cench signed a 2 album record deal and he has a single coming out soon with a drake feature, it appears he’s only getting started
the editing so fire
Great video boss, I like 23 a lot. Excited to see whats next from him
Bro, 6 years ago UK rap was great and it’s continued to get better. Pre 2016 though it was absolutely dead. Skepta making Konnichiwa, and Kano making Made in the Manor absolutely revitalised UK rap and since then I’d say more great UK rappers have blown up than great US rappers by an absolute landslide. Other than JID and Denzel Curry (who wouldn’t be top 5 UK) I’d say ten to 15 UK rappers are better than the next best American, Little Simz, Dave, Fredo, J Hus, Slowthai, Headie One, Stormzy, Loyle Carner, Avelino, AJ Tracey, Knucks, Digga D, Central Cee, Lancey Foux, Tion Wayne, Pa Salieu, Young Adz, Bandokay, Meekz, MoStack etc and the only one to get in XXL Freshmen was Stefflon Don who isn’t all that. The US hasn’t been paying attention but the UK are way better now than the US rn imo, and I’d say Dave and Little Simz are on an absolute world class level now particularly and aren’t far off the US legends who are still making classics to this day like Kendrick Lamar and Nas as of right now, and it’d be hard to argue against Little Simz being the most in form rapper in the world right now after 3 masterpieces in Grey Area, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert and No Thank You and the best female rapper to ever live. But Cench saying “How can I be homophobic, my bitch is gay” is the line that broke Uk rap into an American audience, weird when you think about it
Fam, shut up, ur chatting BARE wass, HOW DARE u compare REAL Hip-Hop legends to those people, you must be under the age of 21, Dave and Little Simz is NOWHERE near the levels of Nas or Kendrick Lamar, put some respect on the legends name (as much respect as I have for Simz… Dave, not so much), but anyway, either study more about what you’re talking about before u spray bare chat… or just say nothing and move on with ur day
Man's gassed. I think Simz, Save, Stormzy and Hus can definitely compete with your best American rappers. But Digga D? The man who got slapped by loski? Tion Wayne?
@@j.castro7355 I just threw in a few there at the end but what great American rappers have come up since 2016? Apart from Denzel and JID, I’d say the next guy is 21 Savage who is a UK rapper too lol, and tbf Digga D’s mixtqpe last year was really a great project
@@j.castro7355 bro the only one who stands a LITTLE chance is Little Simz, she prolly the REALEST and best UK artist (that aint underground) lets stop giving these trash man the recognition they DONT deserve, most of them should still be in a dutty bando doing what they do best (or so they say)…. Garbage, if any UK was to get big, I would like to see Little Simz get it real talk… this Barry brudda commented at least 4 posts of trash nonsense in this vid already, gassed man like him the reason garbage rappers are relevant
@@barry4649 Griselda, 38 Spesh, JID (would eat every UK artist out there), Earl Sweatshirt, Willie The Kid, Billy Woods, Mach Hommy, Ka, Boldy James, Che Dior, and bare man… bro just admit, u dont have a FUCKING clue what ur on about… and that’s ok, it’s bless, if u just admit it lmaoo
Great video, shame you didn’t mention the Split Decision project with Dave. It’s made a huge impact in the UK. Sprinter has been number one on UK singles charts for two weeks now 🤷🏾♂️
I really like the idea of uk rap Beeing only popular in Europe. I have the feeling that if something touches the American commercialized market it almost always looses Quality, because the success and the adaption to the international market cuts away the individuality and the connection with certain themes which are mostly relatable in Europe, slowthai, skepta, little simz are the best examples
One note about the sprinter release that wasn’t said but if you know the uk you’ll know that he released the song with Dave who is already a legend, this isn’t to take away from cench and his talent just to say that the views passing kendrick was aided by Dave’s presence but at the same time I feel cench couldve done that himself😂
J Hus x Drake collab should not be overlooked 😤
Great video thank you philip
Cold shoulder is my favorite track of Central Cee. Really unique kind of sound and the lyrics just hit different and it feels so real with the video aswell. Great tune. If you don’t like Central Cee yet or think his music isn’t really your style. I recommend listening to Cold shoulder great tune!
I agrée. The song gives me the chills
Bro i don’t know if you heard polémique by freeze corleone feat central cee it goes sooo hard😊
Great video, i really enjoied it and the takes you made were all correct! One thing you didn't mention was the connections cech made all around europe, doing featurings with big artists from the main countries, in that way he boosted his looks and pointed a lot of european eyes on him! But as i said, great video anyways!
As an American who has been listening to uk rap and drill for a couple years, I’m not the biggest fan of his but its good to see a uk artist popular over here and I hope his popularity brings more people to the genre as well
Cench is a mad artist but u gotta give credit to musicians like Dave as well. They both could bee seen as the future of rap especially in the UK
All sellouts to the jesuit order lol not hard for the industry to make 'em famous while sacrificing their friends like FDOT etc... How many one eye 👁🗨 pics can you find with this people lol buhdomtsss...
Tinie Tempah “Written in the stars” single went platinum in the USA in March 2011 (a million sold before streaming was popular and the main way music is consumed, which is actually more impressive because people mainly bought the single!) was used in wrestlemania, Super Bowl, Major League Baseball, Miss USA 2011. It peaked at No 12 on billboard 100 (probably the highest charting uk rap song from a solo artist ever in the US people forget this conveniently)
Skepta & Asap Rocky “praise the Lord” went double platinum (sales + streaming) in 2018 and peaked at No. 45 on billboard 100
Slick Rick born in London moved to NYC (The Bronx) when he was 11 so he was never seen as a UK rapper although it made his flow sound so unique (a blend of NYC And British) and most thought it was just an act he put on. Hip Hop legend
MF DOOM born in London, moved to NYC as a child and says he has no memory of his London life, it never came out in his flow, he sounded American and many don’t know he’s British ‘til this day (R.I.P.)
21 Savage born in London and moved to the USA at age 7. He isn’t seen, doesn’t sound like and isn’t marketed as a UK rapper. You already know.
I feel like the UK but also Chicago needs more attention and exposure. Chi is really doing something special right now with Jazz rap and soul infusion(Smino, Saba and Noname are good starting points.) As a Nigerian I may be biased but Simz is on top for me the whole UK scene also has consistently been able to show the perspective of 1 generation immigrants in a different way.
Thanks for showing love and giving the UK Scene some more exposure.
You should check out the new generations sounds such as Ayrtn, Ashbeck, Joe James, Finn Foxell, Sainte.
Don’t forget “Bawo”
Central Cee is the Drake of UK rap. Every genre has one. The one that takes the genre to a global audience (mostly this just means white). Usually light skin and has at least one white parent that comes from a wealthier background.
Are you mad? Central cee grew up in one of the roughest and poorest areas of London
Look stuff up before commenting
@@williamfarrow1149West LDN is soft , don't force it
Drake is mid artistically tho
Non of Central cee parents are from a rich background
Drop the playlist brother, would love to see who you’ve included
actually so happy that knocks got recognition in the video, insane quality bro fr
Just saw him perform at Summer Smash, Lyrical Lemonade's Chicago Music festival, and he crushed it. But sadly the crowd wasn't that into it apart from when he played Doja which was sad to see as he gave such a great performance with minimal backing track usage which i appreciate a lot from rappers. I legit had people looking at me funny for getting hype to "6 For 6" and "Day In The Life". Granted festival crowds can be hit or miss depending on the artist. But the vibe of the crowd was just off which was disappointing.
As a Chicago based listener, Cench has become one of my favorite artists ever and UK Rap is one of my top genres since being introduced to it in 2020. SOOOO much talent and genuinely good music coming out of the UK Rap scene but whenever I bring him or the genre up to friends the reaction is almost always judgement just because it sounds different. I hope he's the artist that can break through the barrier. One (good) Drake feature and I feel as though he'll hit a different level.
Loved this video and your thoughts on the subject. Very well written and edited!
you kind of discounting the fact that Dave was also on the song. makes it a bigger deal
Quality content
This video speaks to my soul!! Love to see the spotlight on U.K. artists
Thanks Lucy ❤️❤️
great video!
Good video. Loved it. Uk stand up
Central Cee has been killing it ever since i started hearing him
Amazing Job!
Central Cee too fye, love this video very inspiring! and thanks for putting the quality in everytime Volksgeist just subbed - with gratitude, LaynoProd
Yo bro
trull luv from Brazil
Hey Philip, could you please add the playlist you mentioned in the description? Would be greatly appreciated!
he’s not the first to make it in US, but he could be the biggest. difference
Great video
Loyle Carner
Dave
Knucks
Little simz
Cench is dope, those four are what got me hooked onto UK rap
The ambiguity about his race/nationality also helps his appeal imo, It makes it so the mainstream White audience can portray themselves onto him but with the street aesthetics it makes it catchier to the black audience at the same time
Dont forget other markets such as east asia, middle east, north africa & latin america. He can easily pass being from any of those regions. Any other reason why Tate was able to blow up. An ambiguous look massively helps how many people/cultures you can reach globally.
I just watched this vid and your Boldy James one. You get a subscribe from me sir. Great work!
He is the future of the uk 🇬🇧 he know will be a international star. He just made the xxl he accepted the invite so he can take the first step on being popular in the us, but he needs to change up his style & stop being repetitive or it will bite him in the ass
That shirt looks so fire, great job volks
Also great video as always, making valid points all way through
Great video.....The Alchemist next please
There’s actually a super exciting “underground” scene in the UK, London specifically which has some seriously good artists with completely new sounds
As soon as he said “buhndah” I went straight to the comments🤣 16:00
slowthia was also on "whats good" from igor
bro this video is amazing. I agreed with the ending so much. UK music really hard
YO
cench's early music is more inspired by D-block Europe (DBE) from what i've heard (he eaven metions them in the song "ungratful")
but this vid was a banger ty have a gud day
I completely understand what you’re tryna say in the beginning so I’m not offended or anything. BUT - the Kendrick video was a surprise thing on the pgLang channel, not his main, and he’s already done songs with Baby Keem. The two are heavily affiliated and often associated, like they have the same fanbase so they’re basically an extension of each other. Dave and Central Cee are both separate artists with huge individual followings so that linkup was unexpected by so many but it feels like a huge crossover event because it’s the two biggest UK artists coming together for one song. And not just the UK, they’re huge in Europe and Australia. So that’s why they got more views. If Kendrick and Drake did a song and dropped it on one of their official channels, that would’ve got more views
Average Kendrick Stan reaction
Leon the professional hits
What’s the playlist name? It’s not in the description and couldn’t find it on your Spotify. Great video btw.
I Love your merch tbh, but I couldn’t wear that here in Germany because of the bad image of the word “Volk” for obvious reasons
My friend sent me Sprinter, and damn What a fire ass song. Praying for this guys success
Skepta went double platinum with praise the lord in America and he produced it🏴🇬🇧
I'm suprised you didn't go further into the No more Leaks EP. I feel like One Up and Crypto price are in his top 5 songs.
Big up to Cench, imma be up with him shortly....soon come❤🤞🏾
We got similar thoughts bro, Id love to talk
Thank you mentioning Knucks! 🙏 #nodaysoff
Foreign rappers aren't the one who must innovate to please Ameribrains, it's up to US radios, music critics and medias to get their shit together and be on the lookout for good rap music anywhere it may be
Also, from a commercial perspective, I wouldn't take Russ Millions out of the picture. If he is able to create a balanced Album he could cause damage. Obviously not the best lyrically, but can go viral, went viral in UK and Australia.
great vid. if you into non-american rap you should explore argentinian trap, great stuff for a new video.
Good video.
The interesting thing is that uk rap kind of also isn't mainstream in the uk, sure its more well known than in the us, but like if i were to put on the most popular radio stations, i would hear some of it but not that much, uk rappers generally aren't amoung the most famous celebrities in the uk. Its genuinely still kind of an achievement when a uk rapper gets a number 1 in the uk. Its definitley changing though, it used to be way more isolated to london. Growing up i didn't learn about grime until i was nearly an adult, i only really got into it in university.
Can you give the tracklist on these beats, they insane...
Cench is definitely him ‼️
Was waiting for this type of vid, when Cench collabs with Drake it’s gonna be other with
I would’ve said that but after hearing Drake shit all over a good J Hus song the other day I don’t even want to hear him on another UK rappers song if he’s not going to show some respect
@@barry4649 that hus feature was trash but his only you verse was solid
He made a song with an American rapper called OhGeesy from Shoreline Mafia in 2021 but appeared as a feature
very good video
Underrated youtuber
You would think he would’ve included the new EP with Dave.