Central Cee facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Central Cee
Central Cee in 2023
Background information
Birth name	Oakley Neil Caesar-Su
Also known as	Cench
Born	(1998-06-04) 4 June 1998 (age 27) Ladbroke Grove, London, England
Genres	UK rap trap UK drill pop rap
Occupation(s)	Rapper singer songwriter
Years active	2014–present
Labels	CC4L Columbia (current) Live Yours ADA (former)

Oakley Neil Caesar-Su (born on June 4, 1998), known as Central Cee, is a British rapper from Shepherd's Bush, London. He became very popular in 2020 with his songs "Day in the Life" and "Loading". His first mixtape, Wild West (2021), reached number two on the UK Albums Chart. His second mixtape, 23 (2022), went straight to number one.

Central Cee had even more success with his 2022 song "Doja". It reached number two on the UK Singles Chart. At the time, it was the most-streamed UK rap song ever on Spotify. In June 2023, he released "Sprinter" with fellow rapper Dave. This song became his first UK number-one hit. It was part of their joint EP, Split Decision (2023). "Sprinter" also held the number-one spot for 10 weeks, making it the longest-running number-one rap song in the UK. In April 2024, it became the most streamed UK rap song ever. In May 2024, Central Cee released "Band4Band" with Lil Baby. This song reached number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US. It was the highest-charting UK rap song there. It also reached number 3 in the UK. His first studio album, Can't Rush Greatness, is set to be released in 2025.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Oakley Neil H.T. Caesar-Su was born on June 4, 1998, in Ladbroke Grove, London. His mother is Irish and his father has Chinese and Guyanese roots. When Central Cee was seven, his parents separated. He then lived with his mother and two younger brothers in Shepherd's Bush. One of his brothers, Juke Caesar, appeared on the 23 mixtape.

When he visited his father, Central Cee would listen to American hip-hop. He also heard reggae and dancehall music at the Notting Hill Carnival. Central Cee has said he was quiet at school but sometimes got into trouble. He went to the same school as rapper Digga D. Central Cee left school when he was 16.

He started recording music at age 14. A friend took him to a recording studio, which inspired him. He worked at a shoe store for three weeks but quit after finding out his pay.

Central Cee's Music Journey

Starting Out (2014–2019)

Central Cee first appeared publicly in 2014 on a show called Fire in the Streets. He started using the name "Central Cee" then. His first song appearance was on the "Ain't On Nuttin Remix" in January 2015. He released his "StreetHeat Freestyle" soon after. In 2015, he performed on the BL@CKBOX music platform. In February 2016, Central Cee was featured on a remix of "Spirit Bomb" by AJ Tracey, alongside Dave. He later released his own song "Pull Up" in August 2016. Central Cee released his first projects, the EP 17, and other EPs in 2017. His "Next Up?" freestyle came out in October 2019.

Rising to Fame (2020–2023)

Central Cee performing his “Mad About Bars” freestyle in 2020

Central Cee met his manager YBeeez in 2019, who encouraged him to focus on music. He changed his music style to be more like UK drill. His big breakthrough song, "Day in the Life", came out on June 14, 2020. He followed it with "Molly" in July. He became even more successful with "Loading", released in October 2020. The music videos for these songs were released by GRM Daily. Both "Loading" and "Commitment Issues" (released in February 2021) made it into the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart. Central Cee released his first mixtape, Wild West, in March 2021. It reached number two on the UK Albums Chart.

In September 2021, his song "Obsessed with You" reached number 4 on the UK Singles Chart. This song was the first single from his second mixtape, 23, which was announced in November 2021. Central Cee's Daily Duppy was released on Christmas 2021. More songs from the mixtape, "Retail Therapy" and "Cold Shoulder", came out in January 2022. On February 25, 2022, 23 was released. It became his first number one album in the UK.

After showing parts of it at concerts, his song "Doja" was released on July 21, 2022. It came with a music video directed by Cole Bennett. "Doja" became his highest-charting song, reaching number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. In October 2022, Central Cee surprise-released his EP No More Leaks. This EP included the song "One Up". On December 16, 2022, he released "Let Go". This song uses a sample from the Passenger song "Let Her Go". It reached number six on the UK Singles Chart. In 2022, Central Cee became the first UK rapper to get 1 billion Spotify streams in one year. On February 9, 2023, he released "Me & You".

On June 1, 2023, Central Cee and Dave released their joint song "Sprinter". This was the main song from their EP Split Decision, which was a surprise release on June 4. "Sprinter" became Central Cee's first number-one song. It also broke the record for the most streams for a rap song in UK history in one week. The song also became the longest-running number-one rap song in the UK. In late June, Central Cee was featured in XXL magazine's 2023 Freshman Class. Soon after, it was announced that he had signed with Columbia Records. On July 21, Central Cee released his "On the Radar Freestyle" with Drake. This song reached number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US. On October 20, Central Cee was featured on a song called "Too Much" with Australian rapper The Kid LAROI and Korean pop star Jungkook. On December 21, 2023, Central Cee released the song "Entrapaneur".

New Music and Album (2024–Present)

On February 11, 2024, he released the song "I Will". On April 5, 2024, he appeared on J. Cole's mixtape Might Delete Later on the track "H.Y.B" with Bas. In May 2024, he released a grime song on YouTube called "CC Freestyle". On May 23, he released "Band4Band" with Lil Baby. This song reached number 4 on the UK Singles Chart and number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100. Two weeks later, it reached number 18 on the Hot 100. On June 20, 2024, he was featured on the song "Wave" with Nigerian singer Asake.

On July 11, 2024, Central Cee was featured on Ice Spice's song "Did It First". Central Cee then released "Gen Z Luv" on July 26. In the music video for this song, his upcoming album Can’t Rush Greatness was announced. On August 22, 2024, Central Cee released two more songs: "Bolide Noir" with French rapper JRK 19 and "Billion Streams Freestyle". On October 29, 2024, he released "One By One" along with a live performance of the song for ColorsxStudios.

Central Cee's Style

Central Cee is known for his fashion style. He often wears tracksuits, puffer jackets, and skull caps. These items are common in British streetwear culture.

In 2023, Central Cee started his own streetwear brand called Syna World. The way the brand promotes itself has been compared to other UK brands like Corteiz and Trapstar. In September 2024, he worked with the football club Paris-Saint-Germain to create a special custom kit. In October 2024, Central Cee and Syna World teamed up with Nike. They released a Tech Fleece tracksuit and Air Max 95 shoes. These items were sold on JD Sports and the Nike website.

Central Cee also started modeling. He first modeled for Drake's Nike X Nocta collection in April 2021. In November 2022, he was the face of Jacquemus' "Neve World" campaign.

His Music Style

Central Cee looks up to artists like Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and YoungBoy Never Broke Again for musical inspiration.

Central Cee started his career making British hip-hop. In 2016, he switched to a style called trapwave. This style of British hip hop uses auto-tuned singing. In 2020, Central Cee changed his style again to be more like UK drill. He has mostly stuck to this style since then. He felt that the auto-tune style was too common. His current music style is described as a melodic and upbeat version of UK drill. Central Cee studied rappers like Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and Jay-Z when he was younger. He also named YoungBoy Never Broke Again as one of his influences.

Discography

Albums

• Can't Rush Greatness (2025)

Mixtapes

• Wild West (2021)
• 23 (2022)

Tours

Headlining Tours

• Still Loading World Tour (2022)

Awards and Nominations

Listicles