A decade in the making, Central Cee says you Can't Rush Greatness

Central Cee released his debut album on Friday after eight top 10 singles

After more than a decade in the game and eight top 10 singles, Central Cee has decided it's finally time to drop an album.

He's not been in a hurry.

The clue's in the title - You Can't Rush Greatness.

But some people, like Radio 1 & 1Xtra DJ Kenny Allstar, would say it's been there all along.

He's been a champion of the West London rapper, also known as Cench, for years and has watched him become one of the UK's biggest talents.

He says that's down to the rapper, who understands that music, the industry around it, and how we listen has changed dramatically.

"He studied the game before he entered it," Kenny tells BBC Newsbeat.

"And now we find ourselves with him producing undoubtedly one of the most eagerly anticipated UK rap projects of all time."

As well as a string of hits, including 2023's song of the summer Sprinter, to his name, Cee's picked up multiple Mobo awards and been nominated for a prestigious Ivor Novello prize.

He's also teamed up with artists including Brit Award winner Raye, 21 Savage and US star Gunna.

But he's kept fans waiting for an album, limiting himself to singles and two top 10 mixtapes.

Kenny says holding off until now is a "really smart" move.

DJ Kenny Allstar has championed Central Cee for years and features on his new album

"He understood we're in a singles market," says Kenny.

"Let's call it 'fast food music'.

"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."

Cee's singles are quick to get to the hook, says Kenny, and he's kept his mixtapes short to keep fans engaged.

"Why would you put out a project if the audience isn't ready to take it in?"

Instead, Kenny says, Cee's been biding his time, "building a buzz" off the back of his hits until fans are "ready and gagging for the project, the album".

It's worked on super fan Jessica Mosses, 21, who says: "I'm so excited to have so many brand new songs that we've not had before.

"I'm gonna make sure I'm doing absolutely nothing so I can sit all day and listen."

Jessica admits she's excited to finally have an album to listen to, but thinks how an artist releases music is becoming less relevant.

"He's got to this point just releasing singles and mixtapes," she says.

"I do think that people don't really care what they're releasing as long as it's new."

Even though he's found success without one, others think an album was always going to be on the cards for an artist with Central Cee's ambitions.

Central Cee's track with Dave, Sprinter, spent 10 weeks at number one in the UK

Music journalist Daisy Carter says: "The fact that he's doing it now shows that it's still something that's important for artists.

"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 says.

"It means that you feel more connected to an artist."

Kenny agrees, saying: "It's not just about hit records, it's about, 'what can we learn about you as a person through listening to this body of work?'."

In 2024, Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish seemed to be leading a focus on albums with neither releasing singles to promote their albums in advance.

"With the rise of streaming people can flick between individual songs in a way that they never used to be able to when they were just buying records," says Daisy.

"But the album format is a way for artists to really execute an artistic vision and tell a story."

But Kenny points out that Central Cee has been working overtime to connect with his fans in different ways, particularly through social media, his work in the fashion industry and going big on the production value of everything else he's released.

"You don't need to drop an album if everything you do is big," he says.

"Marketing is so important in this day and age where everyone's on TikTok, everyone's on Insta.

"The music is amazing but how do you influence other subcultures?"

As for the album title, Kenny says it doesn't just represent the time Central Cee's taken to get to this stage in his career but also has another, more personal, meaning.

"I don't mean to toot my own horn," he says, before sharing how the pair released a freestyle together on Kenny's channel in 2020.

"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. I'm not asking for a writing credit, but it's just a blessing it happened on my platform."

And in return for the DJ's support over his career, Central Cee even asked Kenny to feature in a track on the album - something he says he thought was a prank at first.

"I'm gassed," he says.

"I speak passionately about UK rap music because it's everything, I breathe it, I live it.

"So these moments after years of championing artists, this is a payoff."

You can listen to the Radio 1 Rap Show on Saturday at 21:00 and the 1Xtra Rap Show with Kenny Allstar on Friday at 23:00

Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.