Music Moose

Central Cee made his breakout last year with the infamous ‘Day in the Life’ and the West-London rapper has not taken his foot off the gas since scoring his first top 20 single on the UK Official Charts with ‘Loading’. March 12th saw Cee release his debut mixtape ‘Wild West’ 10 months after taking the UK scene by storm. However, Cench’s debut mixtape may have come prematurely to some but, he “Put in the work for years for this, this ain’t no coincidence”. ‘Wild West’ is not your standard Drill project, the mixtape gives us an insight into the man behind the music and the trials and tribulations he faced growing up in West-London. Aristotle famously said “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom” and Cench carries these sentiments throughout the tape. 

What makes ‘Wild West’ a solid project is its production. The tape’s producers have successfully crafted multiple dimensions throughout whilst maintaining the Drill aesthetic, giving Cench the much-needed depth to captivate listeners in the current drill-wave. The introduction fits this mould, producers Seyon and Okami use the choir sample “Living my life as a lie, and the sun keeps falling down” whilst the track is backed by a Latin-guitar led melody, giving the instrumental an almost gospel-like drill sound. ‘6 For 6’ serves as the theme tune for Cee’s ascension to the top. Similarly, the third track ‘Pinging (6 Figures)’ oriental influence gives Cench a new dimension we rarely hear from drill artists. Cench’s realisation of the importance of catering to East-Asian Hip-Hop fans shows he has global heights on his mind. Moreover, ‘Hate it Or Luv It’ fuses R&B and Drill to further the fresh R&Drill movement, as Cee floats over the smooth instrumental whilst paying homage to The Game’s 2005 single of the same name. His biggest single to date ‘Loading’ predominantly features Jazz elements and ‘Fraud’ samples reggae icon Bob Marley’s ‘Jamming’, showcasing his diverse music pallet. The twelfth track ‘Tension’ is another example of Cench’s many influences as the garage/house influences are very apparent. When interviewed by Complex UK’s Rahel Aklilu, Cench spoke on his many influences stating his dad would often play reggae, dancehall, garage, house and hip-hop, which played a pivotal role in shaping Cee’s artistry, he later told Rahel “my work reflects my own diverse influences”. 

Cench isn’t like his peers, he barely comes across as the braggadocios-outgoing type, he remains anonymous, not much is known about his background. ‘Wild West’ gives us a scope into the mind of the West-Londoner. Tracks such as ‘Fraud’ depict his unpleasant beginnings, but Cench doesn’t let that define him as he still walks his ‘Strip’, showing his battle scars, he wouldn’t be where he is today without those lessons. West-London is full of as much inequality as any city in the world, on one side you have the lavish Chelsea mansions and the latter is stricken with poverty and crime. Cench touches on this glaring disparity on ‘Ruby’ sampling the Foreigners 1977 single ‘Cold as Ice’. The lyrics “TV shows don’t show what it’s like, I’ve seen it with my own two eyes” & “Broken hearts, broken homes, you’re not from here, you won’t know what it’s like” are all a reflection of the harsh realities a lot of youth will experience growing up in the inner cities of London. Cench’s ability to reflect on his surroundings and translate those sentiments into a story showcase Cee’s maturity, a quality much of his contemporaries lack. Equally, the outro ‘Gang Biz’ feeds into his introspection “judging the way that we’re living, outlandish, they wanna ban it, they don’t understand it” as he criticises the metropolitans distaste of drill music. The metropolitan’s crackdown has led to restrictions being placed on several rappers lyrical content. Cench realises he is a product of his environment but he is more than just a ‘drill rapper’, if only drill’s critics could see this side. 

Another takeaway from the mixtape is Cench’s self-assurance in his talents. “What’s the odds? Place your bets”, Cee is letting us know he is not worried about taking any losses. Artist often fear the unknown, hence why labels still hold weight in the music industry today, however Cench is willing to “take that risk and go independent”, most rappers who garner as much success as Cee would already be signed. This poise is what draws listeners to Cench, yet he remains humble despite his success, “I’m not in my bag I’m loading” echoe these sentiments. This is furthered on the fourth track ‘the bag’ “I wanna know where the bag at”.

Stepping aside from the music, ‘Wild West’ had one of the best marketing campaigns in recent memory. From his collaboration with fellow West-London fashion brand ‘Trapstar’ selling out in less than 30 minutes, surprise live performances at Wendell Park, posing on horses (what a lovely fitting) and giving out free meals at Chicken Kitchen. Cench and his team are raising the standard when it comes to promotion. I could only imagine what a marketing campaign for his album would look like. Bayy Agency have done an exceptional job and deserve more recognition for their efforts. 

However, ‘Wild West’ may be a rock-solid debut, but Cench is still privy to criticism. The album displays a drill aesthetic throughout which can sound like one long record to those who aren’t familiar with the nuances of drill music. Besides, tracks such as ‘The Bag’ and ‘Dun Deal’ sound similar to any generic drill track featured on GRM Daily. Especially ‘The Bag’ which contains a half-hearted chorus, lacks the intensity and charisma we have come to expect from Cench. Moreover, I would’ve loved to hear Cench bring back his trap-wave style and switch between his new-found style to create more depth. Also with a title as awesome as his, it’s a shame we didn’t get any incorporation of the Wild West in his music; maybe a Clint Eastwood reference? Nevertheless, the positive still outweigh the negatives. 

Overall, ‘Wild West’ is one of the best mixtapes the UK has had to offer in the last couple of years. Cench has shown us he is more than a drill rapper. The tape is littered with crossover ability throughout, the ‘Pinging’ mashup with Soulja Boy’s ‘Crank That’ is a testament to that. As well as crossover ability, tracks like ‘Commitment Issues’ are already popular amongst the ladies and on TikTok, showcasing his global potential. Central Cee has been waiting for this moment for well over half-a-decade and is only now seeing the fruits of his labour. Cench has a promising career ahead of him and I look forward to seeing the next step in his career.