Central Cee

Biography

Oakley Neil Caesar-Su (born 4 June 1998), known professionally as Central Cee, is a British rapper from Shepherd's Bush, London. Regarded as a leading figure in UK rap, he rose to prominence in 2020 with the release of his drill singles "Day in the Life×Day in the Life15 June 2020 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Day in the Life3:08" and "Loading×Loading22 October 2020 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Loading2:53". His first mixtape, Wild West×Wild West12 March 2021 · Studio album · Mixtape/StreetSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks16 for 62:312Fraud2:333Pinging2:444The Bag2:545Day in the Life3:116Dun Deal2:427Commitment Issues2:338Sex Money Drugs2:369Ruby3:2810Hate It or Luv It2:3311Xmas Eve5:4112Loading2:5513Tension3:0814Gangbiz2:30 (2021), debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart, while his second, 23 (2022), debuted atop the chart.
Central Cee achieved further success with his 2022 single "Doja", which peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart and became the then-most-streamed UK rap song on Spotify. In June 2023, he released the single "Sprinter×Sprinter1 June 2023 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Sprinter3:49" (with Dave), which became his first UK number-one song and preceded their collaborative EP, Split Decision×Split Decision4 June 2023 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Trojan Horse4:082Sprinter3:493Our 25th Birthday5:074UK Rap3:18 (2023). The song also became the longest-running number-one rap song in the UK, holding the position for ten weeks. In April 2024, it became the most streamed UK rap song of all time, surpassing "Doja". That May, Central Cee released the single "Band4Band×BAND4BAND23 May 2024 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1BAND4BAND2:20" (with Lil Baby), which became the highest-charting UK rap song on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 18, as well as number 3 in his home country.
He signed with Columbia Records to release his debut studio album, Can't Rush Greatness (2025), became his second number-one on the UK Albums Chart. It also debuted at number nine on the Billboard 200, becoming the first top-ten UK rap album in US.

Early life

Oakley Neil Caesar-Su was born on 4 June 1998 in Ladbroke Grove, London to an English mother and a father of Guyanese and Chinese ancestry. His mother Rachel Caesar met his father at age 15 and began dating him against her parents' wishes, subsequently getting cut off financially. When he was seven, his parents separated and he began living with his mother and two younger brothers in Shepherd's Bush. He has an additional half-brother. One of his brothers is Juke Caesar, who appeared on the 23 mixtape under the name "Lil Bro". As a child, Central Cee would write poetry and raps, which he would then show to his mother, a social worker.
When Central Cee visited his father, he would be shown American hip-hop. He would also be exposed to reggae and dancehall when he attended Notting Hill Carnival. Central Cee has stated that he kept to himself in school, but would occasionally misbehave and lose his temper. He went to the same school as rapper Digga D, being two years his senior. Central Cee left school at age 16.
Central Cee became enamoured with pursuing music as a career after a friend took him to a music studio near Wandsworth Bridge at age 14. During his teenage years, he worked at a shoe store for three weeks before finding out his wage and quitting. He eventually turned to selling drugs to earn money, stating, "When you're coming from where I'm coming from, everybody from all walks of life, nine times out of ten, they had to do that. It's like learning to ride a bike."

2014–2019: Career beginnings

Initially inspired by Chip, Bow Wow, and Fugative, who gained fame as teenagers, Central Cee made an early public appearance on a now-deleted episode of Charlie Sloth's Fire in the Streets series in 2014, where he adopted the rapper name "Central Cee" (first listed as Central C). His first song appearance was on the "Ain't On Nuttin Remix" alongside J Hus and more in January 2015. He released his "StreetHeat Freestyle" in February of the same year. In 2015, Central Cee appeared on music platform BL@CKBOX and performed verses to Tupac instrumentals alongside MoWest. At the age of 17, he threw his first headline show at Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen, renting the venue for £500 and making £2,500 in profit. Six months later, he performed at the venue once again, describing it as "just the same as the first time", leading to a lack of motivation in his career. In February 2016, he was featured alongside Dave and others on the remix to the song "Spirit Bomb" by AJ Tracey. He later released the single "Pull Up" in August 2016. Central Cee released his first projects, the EP 17, and the now-deleted EPs Nostalgia and CS Vol. 1 in 2017. His "Next Up?" freestyle was released in October 2019, following a number of singles that released that year.

2020–2023: Wild West, 23, and Split Decision

Central Cee met his future manager YBeeez in 2019, who encouraged him to pursue music further. After switching from auto-tuned hip-hop to a style similar to UK drill, he released his breakout single "Day in the Life×Day in the Life15 June 2020 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Day in the Life3:08" on 14 June 2020. He followed it up with "Molly×Molly27 July 2020 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Molly3:21" in July, and achieved further success with the single "Loading×Loading22 October 2020 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Loading2:53", released on 22 October 2020. The music videos for the three tracks were released by GRM Daily. "Loading" and February 2021's "Commitment Issues×Commitment Issues11 February 2021 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Commitment Issues2:30" both reached the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart. Central Cee self-released his debut mixtape Wild West×Wild West12 March 2021 · Studio album · Mixtape/StreetSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks16 for 62:312Fraud2:333Pinging2:444The Bag2:545Day in the Life3:116Dun Deal2:427Commitment Issues2:338Sex Money Drugs2:369Ruby3:2810Hate It or Luv It2:3311Xmas Eve5:4112Loading2:5513Tension3:0814Gangbiz2:30 in March 2021, which debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart and number one on the UK R&B Albums Chart.
In September 2021, the single "Obsessed with You×Obsessed With You10 September 2021 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Obsessed With You1:49" reached number 4 on the UK Singles Chart, and would become the lead single to his second mixtape, 23, announced in November 2021. Central Cee's Daily Duppy was released on Christmas of 2021. The second and third singles from the mixtape, "Retail Therapy×Retail Therapy6 January 2022 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Retail Therapy2:55" and "Cold Shoulder×Cold Shoulder27 January 2022 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Cold Shoulder3:12", were released on 6 and 27 January 2022. On 25 February 2022, 23 was released and became his first number one on the UK Albums Chart.
Following previews at concerts and on social media, his single "Doja" released on 21 July 2022 alongside a music video directed by Cole Bennett. It became his highest charting song of his career, debuting at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. The song also reached number 12 on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. On 14 October 2022, Central Cee surprise released his EP No More Leaks×No More Leaks14 October 2022 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Chapters1:552Bumpy Johnson2:423One Up2:404Crypto Price2:58, which was supported by the single "One Up×One Up13 October 2022 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1One By One2:592One By One (A COLORS SHOW)2:59" which released the day before. On 16 December 2022, he released the single "Let Go×LET GO15 December 2022 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1LET GO2:54", which samples the Passenger single "Let Her Go" and peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart. In 2022, Central Cee became the first UK rapper to achieve 1 billion Spotify streams in a single year. On 9 February 2023, he released the single "Me & You×Me & You30 July 2017 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Over You3:01".
On 1 June 2023, Central Cee and Dave released the joint single "Sprinter×Sprinter1 June 2023 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Sprinter3:49". It was the lead single to their collaborative EP Split Decision×Split Decision4 June 2023 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Trojan Horse4:082Sprinter3:493Our 25th Birthday5:074UK Rap3:18, which was surprise-released on 4 June. "Sprinter" became his first number-one single, and broke the record for the biggest streaming week for a rap song in UK history. The single also broke the record for the longest running number-one rap single in the UK. In late June, Central Cee appeared on XXL magazine's 2023 Freshman Class. Days later, it was announced that he had signed to Columbia Records. On 21 July, Central Cee released his "On the Radar Freestyle" with Drake. The track debuted at number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming his first song to reach the chart.
On 20 October, he was featured on the song "Too Much" alongside Australian rapper The Kid Laroi and Korean pop star Jungkook. On 21 December 2023, Central Cee released the single "Entrapreneur×Entrapreneur21 December 2023 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Entrapreneur2:24".

2024–present: Can't Rush Greatness and All Roads Lead Home

On 11 February 2024, Central Cee released the single "I Will×I Will22 February 2024 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1I Will2:30". On 5 April 2024, he appeared on J. Cole's surprise mixtape Might Delete Later on the track "H.Y.B" alongside Bas. In May 2024, he released a grime song on YouTube titled "CC Freestyle". On 23 May, he released the track "Band4Band×BAND4BAND23 May 2024 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1BAND4BAND2:20" alongside Lil Baby. The track debuted at number 4 on the UK Singles Chart and number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming his highest entry on the latter. Two weeks later, the track reached number 18 on the Hot 100. On 20 June 2024, he appeared on the joint track "Wave" with Nigerian singer Asake.
On 11 July 2024, Central Cee featured on Ice Spice's single "Did It First×Did It First11 July 2024 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Did It First1:58". The track's rollout sparked controversy and unsound dating rumors between the two. he followed this up with the single "Gen Z Luv×Gen Z Luv25 July 2024 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Gen Z Luv2:332BAND4BAND2:21" on 26 July. In the song's music video, his forthcoming album Can’t Rush Greatness×CAN’T RUSH GREATNESS24 January 2025 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 17 tracks1No Introduction2:4125 Star2:403Gata3:254St. Patrick’s2:405GBP2:356Top Freestyle3:057Up North2:438CRG3:029Limitless3:2110Now We’re Strangers3:2611Truth in the Lies2:2312Ten2:0313BAND4BAND2:2114Gen Z Luv2:3315Walk in Wardrobe3:1816Must Be2:4617Don’t Know Anymore3:48 was announced. On 22 August 2024, Central Cee released two singles, "Bolide Noir×Bolide Noir22 August 2024 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Bolide Noir2:512Billion Streams Freestyle2:06" with French rapper JRK 19 and "Billion Streams Freestyle". On 29 October 2024, he released the single "One By One×One by One29 October 2024 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1One by One2:592One by One (A COLORS SHOW)2:59" alongside a ColorsxStudios performance of the song.
On 16 January 2025, Central Cee released the single "GBP" with 21 Savage, with a music video directed by Cole Bennett. A week later, on 24 January, Can't Rush Greatness was released to positive reviews, and became his second number one on the UK Albums Chart, with over 42,000 units sold. It also reached number nine on the Billboard 200, becoming the first UK rap album to reach the top ten. On 28 January, he announced his second headlining tour, the Can't Rush Greatness World Tour.
His sixth EP All Roads Lead Home×ALL ROADS LEAD HOME20 March 2026 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracks1ICEMAN FREESTYLE3:062SLAUGHTER2:183WAGWAN2:074FEELINGS2:505DC102:096MAKA2:457Y FI DAT2:03 was released on March 19, 2026, and was supported by the singles "Iceman Freestyle×ICEMAN FREESTYLE12 February 2026 · ReleaseSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1ICEMAN FREESTYLE3:06" and "Slaughter×SLAUGHTER13 February 2026 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1SLAUGHTER2:18" with J Hus.

Fashion

Central Cee is known for his style of fashion which usually features tracksuits, puffer jackets, and skull caps, items commonly associated with British streetwear culture.
In 2023, Central Cee launched the streetwear brand Syna World. The brand's guerrilla marketing techniques have been compared to fellow UK brands such as Corteiz and Trapstar. He collaborated with the football club Paris Saint-Germain to make a custom kit in September 2024. In October 2024, Central Cee and Syna World collaborated with Nike to release a Tech Fleece tracksuit and Air Max 95's. It was put on sale on JD Sports and the Nike website.
Central Cee made his modeling debut for Drake's Nike X Nocta collection on 6 April 2021. He fronted Jaquemus' "Neve World" campaign in November 2022.

Musical style

Beginning his career performing British hip-hop, Central Cee switched to the trapwave genre in 2016, a style of British hip-hop which utilizes auto-tuned singing. In 2020, he moved to a style similar to UK drill with the release of the single "Day in the Life×Day in the Life15 June 2020 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Day in the Life3:08", and has mostly stuck to that style since then, stating that the auto-tune style was oversaturated. His current style of music has been described as a melodic and upbeat approach to UK drill.

Influences

Central Cee studied rappers such as Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and Jay-Z as a young adult and named YoungBoy Never Broke Again as one of his influences, comparing his approach to the rapper.There's a lot of people that will testify that he's shit because there's no science to his thing, musically. What I think sells is his personality and his vulnerability in the music. Actually, that probably influenced me a lot.He has also stated that fellow British rapper Skepta is the "main reason" he started making music.

Personal life

Central Cee dated Madeline Argy, a TikTok creator and host of the Pretty Lonesome podcast, for over two years. Their relationship ended in July 2024.
On February 6, 2026, during a livestream with PlaqueBoyMax, Central Cee announced that he converted to Islam and changed his name to Akhil.

Headlining

Still Loading World Tour (2022)
Can't Rush Greatness World Tour (2025)