After several hits and high-profile collaborations, British rapper Central Cee released his debut studio album on Friday. Can’t Rush Greatness features 17 tracks and includes previously released singles “BAND4BAND” with Lil Baby, “Gen Z Luv” and “GBP” featuring 21 Savage. The album features collaborations with artists like Young Miko, Dave, Lil Durk and Skepta.

The project comes three years after Central Cee’s 23 mixtape, which spawned the hits “Obsessed with You,” “Retail Therapy,” “Cold Shoulder” and “Khabib.”

“With the mixtapes, I was living in [the same] house I grew up in,” he told Dazed in a cover story last fall. “Now we’ve elevated, we’re actually musicians. There were times it was hard to say man’s a musician. I was just a guy that [went into the] studio [sometimes]. Now, I’m an artist.”

Central Cee has won several awards, including Mobo awards and an Ivor Novello prize nomination, according to BBC. He has collaborated with artists like Raye, 21 Savage and Gunna, while his singles have often featured on the charts.

The album title is a nod to the amount of time he took to release the project — an intentional move.

“He understood we’re in a singles market. Let’s call it ‘fast food music’,” Radio 1 & 1Xtra DJ Kenny Allstar told BBC. “The younger generation, they’re not always ready to sit down and listen to a whole in-depth project because we’re getting so much music at such a rapid rate.”

 

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DJ Kenny says the album title is also a reference to a freestyle he did with Central Cee back in 2020.

“I don’t mean to toot my own horn,” he said, per BBC. “There’s a line where he says, ‘this took ages, you should have known you can’t rush greatness, you’re too impatient, one million views ain’t famous’.”

“Five years ago that lyric was birthed,” he added. “I’m not asking for a writing credit, but it’s just a blessing it happened on my platform.”

Music journalist Daisy Carter said Central Cee’s decision to delay his debut album release was a smart move in today’s music industry landscape.

“I think it creates a stronger bond between the listener and the artists to have a longer body of work that you’re able to get your teeth into,” she told BBC. “It means that you feel more connected to an artist.”

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