3.22.2022

Video: Central Cee – “Ungrateful“

The Breakout UK Rap Star Collects Some of the Biggest Drill Stars in Europe for a Hard New Clip from the 23 Mixtape

Home to Hit Singles like “Obsessed With You,” “Khabib,” “Retail Therapy,” and the New “Straight Back To It,” 23 is On Pace for a Massive Debut Week

Critical Praise:

“If this is him on a mixtape, I’m super excited to hear him on an album. I feel like that can be a moment where we get a full length release from him, that people will start to discover him and be like…oh wait he had these two excellent mixtapes a few years ago, that I didn’t even know about. I feel like that might be the thing to do it.” – Lyndsey Havens, Billboard on Sirius XM

“He’s getting the right co-signs….sky’s the limit for the kid.” – Carl LaMarre, Billboard on Sirius XM

“The new face of drill music” – NME

“It’s been a busy, busy year for West London’s Central Cee. The rapper’s Wild West mixtape, released in the first half of the year, sent him jetting into the big time and things haven’t really slowed down since. A newly reopened live circuit welcomed Cench with open arms and he’s still found time for collabs with the likes of Ed Sheeran, Fredo, OhGeesy, Blanco and quite a few more besides.” – Complex

“Gritty street-level drill from magnetic talent” – The Guardian

“It’s clear the 23-year-old rhymer has made a leap as a clever lyricist” – i-D

“The Party-Starting Rapper Injecting Fun into Drill””- Noisey

The Video:

Central Cee came from nothing to become one of the UK’s biggest rap stars, but he’s still haunted and motivated by his days in Shepherd’s Bush. Baring his soul about his past sins and current stardom, Cench shares “Ungrateful,” the latest video from his new mixtape 23. Nimbly navigating a wistful instrumental from Levi Lennox, Cench digs deep, speaking the truth about his reluctant stardom and wondering if he truly deserves the success he achieved: “No such thing as positive thinkin’, when you’re locked in, it feel like a maze,” he spits. Despite the song’s title, Cench is anything but ungrateful, as he thanks the people who paved the path that he’s chosen, including iconic UK acts like Giggs, Skepta, and Dave, and gives a special shout out to his manager: “Uh, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do if it weren’t for the man before me/I show respect where it’s due/Where would I be if I never met YBeeez?” In the video, Central relaxes in a luxurious flat, counting his cash as he wonders whether it was all worth it.

“Ungrateful” is the latest in a line of videos from 23, following the multi-lingual clip for “Eurovision” (9.7 million views), which peaked at #1 on YouTube’s trending chart, and the exhilarating clip for “Straight Back To It,” a new smash that has over 15 million combined streams and sits at #45 on the UK Official Charts. A matured and elevated sound, the 15 track project delves deeper into Cench’s mysterious character, sharing some of his most personal moments to date, alongside singles like “Retail Therapy,” a hard-hitting, jazz-sampling video single (8+ million views), and “Cold Shoulder,” which explores the realities of Central Cee’s past and the process he’s currently going through, “Khabib,” which racked up more than 4 million YouTube views in just its first week of release (8.5 million views to date), and debuted at #22 on the UK’s Official Charts.

The culmination of a year-long run that has seen Cench emerge as perhaps the biggest breakout star in the UK rap scene, with over 1 billion streams across platforms, 23 made its debut at #1 on the UK Official Charts. The album has remained near the top of the charts, where it currently sits at #10, and has since become the top-selling rap album in the UK in 2022 (41k units to date). Beyond sales, the album earned rapturous acclaim from the global press–Cench earned cover stories in The Face and Complex NL, scored 4-star reviews in The Guardian, NME, and the Metro Times, and positive mentions in Billboard, The FADER, and i-D.

Central Cee is taking over and the 23 mixtape’s arrival is certain to propel him even further on his unparalleled journey from West London’s Shepherd’s Bush to the ranks of hip-hop’s global elite.

Watch “Ungrateful”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtmqU4J-5X8

Buy/Stream 23: https://ada.lnk.to/Cench23

Buy Central Cee merch: https://ada.lnk.to/23-Store

Read Central Cee’s recent cover story in The Face: https://theface.com/music/central-cee-cench-23-mixtape-rap-hip-hop-drill-ybeez-volume4-issue10

23 Tracklist:

Khabib
Straight Back To It
Ungrateful
Bunda
Retail Therapy
Eurovision ft. Rondodasosa, Baby Gang, A2Anti, Morad, Benny Jr, ASHE 22 & Freeze Corleone
Cold Shoulder
Mrs
Air BnB
No Pain
Terminal 5
Obsessed With You
8 Ball
Lil Bro
End of The Beginning

Please contact Michelle or Kevin for more info.

The Background:

Central Cee has an undeniable magnetism. On Christmas Day 2021, in the wake of his enormous Pink Pantheress-sampling single “Obsessed With You,” he released a GRM Daily Duppy (a performance on one of the UK’s most popular street rap platforms), which went on to be the highest charting in history. This year, after a stellar position in 2022’s BBC Sound Poll, Central Cee consequently received an astounding three BRIT Award nominations, for Best New Artist, Best Song, and Best British Hip Hop, Rap, Grime act. Late last year, Central Cee won Best Male Artist and Breakthrough Artist of The Year at the GRM Awards, accolades which add to his already incredible position as Spotify’s Radar Artist and YouTube’s Artist On The Rise, not to mention his recent double gong win at the MOBO Awards for Best Newcomer and Best Drill Act. The young superstar is currently gracing the cover of The Face Magazine, where he reveals the motivations that drive his rapid rise to the top.

Astounding fans and critics alike, CC’s independently released debut mixtape Wild West was the highest selling independent project of 2021 and 2021’s only UK debut project to go Gold. The mixtape landed in the wake of the hugely successful singles “Loading” and “Commitment Issues”, breaking internationally and sending his name reverberating across the globe. Cench has a keen eye for fashion–on his debut tape campaign, Cench collaborated with UK Streetwear brands Corteiz, and Trapstar on merch lines, both of which sold out within 60 minutes. The 23 mixtape campaign follows on in this vein, with CC releasing his own 23 merch, creating a fan-art led physical edition of the tape, and collaborating with Trapstar on a merch line once again.

With co-signs from The Guardian, Pitchfork, NME, Clash, The Face, Complex, Crack, the late Virgil Abloh and other global music icons, Central Cee is taking over, and the 23 mixtape’s arrival is certain to propel him even further on his unparalleled journey.