23

"West London's premier lyricist, Central Cee's meteoric rise has been one of the biggest success stories of the 2020's. From being a nominee for best new artist at the BRITs this year, to countless hits and show-stopping features, it's fair to say Cench is at the peak of his powers in the UK rap scene ... Drill is an incredibly difficult genre to produce an album in - production, lyrics and flow can seem repetitive - but with '23' Cench truly puts his name at the top of the leaderboard. The ear for production, vulnerability, braggadocio, and likability make him one of the UK's premier artists, not just in drill or rap but UK music as a whole".

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"He might have been around for longer than people think, but the latest embodiment of Central Cee was arguably one of the biggest breakthrough acts of 2021. One track heavier than 'Wild West', Central Cee's '23' is the next stage in his smoothing of the gritty UK drill tradition, bridging culture, class, countries and running rampant on every online social platform available. An immortalised number in competitive sport as well as Cee's age, 23 aims to surpass any expectations (or criticism) for this young talent from West London".

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"nej, Central Cee ikke er verdens mest varierede rapper. Nogle gange kan man savne lidt variation på '23', der også kun har gæster på to sange. Albummet kører i ét tempo ... Men samtidig er der også noget fascinerende kompromisløst ved, at han vitterligt har én stil, som han har perfektioneret. Man kunne sige, at det gør ham endimensionel. Eller man kunne sige, at det gør ham til en specialist, der koncentrerer sig om at mestre én disciplin ... For i en tid, hvor hiphoppen i stigende grad føles som en paraplybetegnelse, der rummer mange forskellige lyde, er det faktisk befriende at høre en artist, der bare fokuserer på den mest rendyrkede version af genren".

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"Drill star finds himself on the brink of greatness: The Shepherd's Bush rapper's brand of distinctive, R&B-sampling drill has been honed on this immersive second mixtape ... As the new face of drill music, "from Bush to Beverley Hills", '23' shows that Cench repeatedly proves his worth as his talent continues to blossom. On his debut, Cench blew away the naysayers that thought he was a two-hit wonder, but on '23' you sense he's relishing this opportunity to have fun and simply enjoy what he's making; the next step, providing that he continues to push himself and mix it up, could be a game-changer".

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