Sound of 2022: Central Cee's colorful rapper starts the countdown
One of the fastest rising stars in British rap, Central Cee won fifth place at Radio 1's Sound Of 2022. His melodic approach to training from West London has earned him two Mobo Awards, and in February, he was nominated for three Brits - including Best Newcomer.
He exploded on stage in 2020 with his outspoken Day In The Life, mocking his peers, "Turn off auto-votes, let's hear you rap."
The route is the culmination of 15 years of hard work for Freestyle driving. Born Oakley Caesar-So in 1998 in Shepherd's Bush, London, he has developed his lyrical style since he wrote his first verse at eight.
"I'm 22 now, so 10. But I'm not really in the game. I'm still at school, balancing things, and just living life. So it was really last year, 2020, when I was doing this stuff. things have to be taken seriously."
Day In The Life and its successors, Molly, and Loading describe him as a playful, mischievous character who eschews the training slaps for a more colorful sound - full of jazz samples and playful puns.
With tens of millions of streams amassed, the music quickly caught the attention of record labels, but the rapper brought it all back.
"Take this risk and be independent," he told single pining 2021. "I just let go of a six-figure number."
However, the risk is worth it. Problems with an engagement in February put Cee at number nine on the UK charts, and her first mixtape, Wild West, debuted at number two in March.
He celebrated his release on horseback through Shepherd's Bush Market and put up a giant mural near Goldhawk Road. When Si appeared to take pictures in front of him, "50 to 60 students came in about five minutes," he recalls.
He ended the year with a guest coupé of Ed Sheeran's Bad Habits Remix and another top 10 single, Obsessed With You, a street love song that was a sample of the PinkPantheress-nominated Sound Of 2022.
Central Cee is the first act announced for Sound Of 2022, aiming to predict the most prominent new stars for next year.
The remaining five are published daily on Radio 1 and News. Now in their 20s, previous winners include Adele, Celesta, Chaim, Sam Smith, and Ellie Golding.
You sold the Shepherds Bush Empire in October. Have you ever walked past it as a child and thought: "I'll play there one day"?
Every time I passed by Shepherd's Bush Empire - which was two or three times a day for 10 to 15 years - I would look at it and subconsciously look and see who was on the bill. Of course, we could have sold more tickets - but making sure to do so was a conscious decision. I needed to make this place no matter how many tickets I could sell.