British rap superstar Central Cee is back with the final episode of ‘CRG Radio’ on Apple Music 1. Fresh off the release of his debut album, ‘Can’t Rush Greatness’ which debuted at Number 1 on the UK album charts on Friday, episode four is dedicated to the musical heroes that have inspired and helped shape him as an artist.
Central Cee on his love for Vybz Kartel and the impact Notting Hill Carnival had on him growing up…
I think Vybz Kartel is better than Michael Jackson. It's a controversial personal opinion. I was born in West London. I was born in June and Carnival is on the last bank holiday of August, so I was one month old, had my Carnival ear protectors in and the first 14 years of my life, every August I was at Carnival. I feel like that must've just shaped my childhood. That musical influence played such a big role in me as a person and as an artist. There's only a few artists here that I studied and Vybz Kartel being one of them. I used to go mad sitting in my yard till 4, 5, 6 AM watching bare YouTube videos of people performing. This is before I blew and I'm kind of subconsciously manifesting. I'd watch all of Vybz’s performances, and you see what I love about Vybz. His music might come across as ignorant, it might come across just vibes in it, but I can see how much goes into the music, the videos, the image, so you see when you come on stage at one of the gigs and he's come ready for war in the camouflage suit. When I blew, we did Wireless. That was my first proper show. I remember I felt like I needed to make an impact on whatever. That's why I did that at Wireless and this is 10 years, 15 years later when I've gone and done that Wireless, everybody gave me the credit like, “ohh, that's sick”. And I remember throughout that year and the year after, everyone was trying to do the same thing going on stage. Everybody dressed in a theme as a rapper, I guess most people just go on blasé, but we kind of brought that back, but I got that from Vybz didn't I? And so many other things.
Central Cee and Vybz Kartel discuss collaborating for the first time…
Vybz: But the f***, how the f*** am I not on the album (‘Can’t Rush Greatness’) though? That's crazy, bro. We have to do something, man.
CC: I know, I know. We are going to talk anyway. We're going to talk. The marathon continues. I've got some great ideas still.
Vybz: Yeah. Ready for work, man. Now ready now, man.
CC: Yeah, let's do it man.
Vybz: Fu*** up Jamaica, I can f*** up England and f*** up New York and amen. Central Cee, Kartel, Bumbaclart global.
CC: The Goat, the goat. Appreciate you Vybz, bro.
Central Cee on his love for Amy Winehouse and crying watching her film…
I've been listening to a lot of Amy Winehouse. Do you know what? Growing up, my household wasn't really that musical. I didn't have access to any music. I had one MP3 with maybe 12 songs on it, and listened to them on repeat for years. Never had the internet, never had a phone until big ages init. So I was listening to music. I didn't get to choose what music I was listening to and that's probably why from young I started actually just writing my own music, bro. I didn't even listen to Jay-Z until I was a big age. I had to go back and do my proper homework on a lot of these people. Amy Winehouse is one of them people that I've gone back and listened to in recent times and got to really appreciate. I watched her film on the plane and see me, I'm not emotional, I don't cry. I definitely don't cry. Whether I'm emotional or not, I don't cry. But the film made me cry and I listened to the songs back after I actually cried to the music. I said, no, this is mad. It's her story and just the music is great and it's so real. She was saying things in the movie that I related to. The music comes from real life in its show, not going Studio for time, and just living a real life and I can really hear that in the music. There's some real pain and I like that. That was two from one of the greats. Amy Winehouse, ‘Back To Black’.
Central Cee on his love for Billie Eilish and knowing every lyric of ‘BIRDS OF A FEATHER’…
You see me, I don't know lyrics. I was saying it to the man I know ‘Juicy’ by Biggie Smalls just about off by heart and that's the only song and then nearly, I think after listening to it maybe a thousand times, know Billie Eilish, ‘BIRDS OF A FEATHER’. I need to listen to something for time to hear lyrics. I think I fancied her first. I was looking at her, I was just watching the videos to look at her and then I started thinking, yeah, no, this is actually cold. And then now I dunno if it's ‘mind games’. I've just heard it so much, but I love it. I just love the music now. I don't even care if I could just listen to the music now. I just love the music. It's not even about her anymore … I've just been told that was one of the biggest songs of last year, and it kind of makes me think that when something's so popular, I know people do it with my music. I'm not actually as unique as I think I am for liking that song, but I am in my circle, isn't it? I guess it's good that it's a popular song.
Central Cee on Drake and the nostalgia it brings him listening to ‘Take Care’...
One of the next greats I'm going to be playing is the boy Drake. I want to throw it all the way back to the album. That really inspired me. Like I was saying, I didn't have much access to music growing up, but I did have two albums that I've played on repeat religiously, ‘Blacklisted’ by Skepta and ‘Take Care’ by Drake. When I listen to those two albums today, I get an actual feeling, a nostalgic feeling. It takes me right back to my bedroom where I would just listen to them albums on repeat. The first song off Drake's ‘Take Care’ that I'm going to play is ‘Shot For Me’.
Central Cee on growing up without music and films, and his love for Damian Marley…
I'm not a consumer. I watched films on the plane for the first time, but I'm telling you, I grew up like a nun. My mom never had the TV on or the radio. I must have heard LBC if I was lucky. I weren't listening to music, bro. I had to think and draw and do things init in real life. On that note, on an introspective, wisdom note, Damian Marley is one of my greats. The whole family, the Marley family. I could be generic and say Bob, but actually Damian has done the best at really taking the message that his pops was spreading and doing it in a more modern way, in a way that can really translate to the youth of today's time. I'm going to play Damian Marley & Nas ‘Road To Zion’. Nas, one of the goats from America, just them two worlds colliding. It is yet to be done again. It's like they're both so different but so similar at the same time. They both gangsta about sending a message. What I really enjoyed about that album (‘Distant Relatives’) was the merge of two different worlds. When I come to think of it, it's actually mad innit really. Two different Sonics merged together very well.
Central Cee on why he loves Lil Durk…
A newer, great for me, is Lil Durk. I'm lucky enough to collaborate with him. You know that question. If you had to listen to one person for the rest of your life, I think I’d actually say (Lil) Durk still. It's the vulnerability that Durk would just say some mad things that no one else would really say. The relatability, I dunno, he just says things so straight to the point. See me, I don't really care about wordplay or puns and similes and things like that. I just want to hear what relates to me kind of thing. And Durk will just say all of them things. It is probably shaped the way that I rap in the way it's contradictive, he will do the bad boy thing and then he's smooth and soft and then he's, I dunno, it's just so up and down. It's just so human, isn't it? Whereas I think a lot of artists nowadays that I can't ever buy into an artist where there's just one side init. I know you are human so you're not a character. Let me see some flaws, like Durk will really put his flaws on blast.
Central Cee on his love for Vybz Kartel and the impact Notting Hill Carnival had on him growing up…
I think Vybz Kartel is better than Michael Jackson. It's a controversial personal opinion. I was born in West London. I was born in June and Carnival is on the last bank holiday of August, so I was one month old, had my Carnival ear protectors in and the first 14 years of my life, every August I was at Carnival. I feel like that must've just shaped my childhood. That musical influence played such a big role in me as a person and as an artist. There's only a few artists here that I studied and Vybz Kartel being one of them. I used to go mad sitting in my yard till 4, 5, 6 AM watching bare YouTube videos of people performing. This is before I blew and I'm kind of subconsciously manifesting. I'd watch all of Vybz’s performances, and you see what I love about Vybz. His music might come across as ignorant, it might come across just vibes in it, but I can see how much goes into the music, the videos, the image, so you see when you come on stage at one of the gigs and he's come ready for war in the camouflage suit. When I blew, we did Wireless. That was my first proper show. I remember I felt like I needed to make an impact on whatever. That's why I did that at Wireless and this is 10 years, 15 years later when I've gone and done that Wireless, everybody gave me the credit like, “ohh, that's sick”. And I remember throughout that year and the year after, everyone was trying to do the same thing going on stage. Everybody dressed in a theme as a rapper, I guess most people just go on blasé, but we kind of brought that back, but I got that from Vybz didn't I? And so many other things.
Central Cee and Vybz Kartel discuss collaborating for the first time…
Vybz: But the f***, how the f*** am I not on the album (‘Can’t Rush Greatness’) though? That's crazy, bro. We have to do something, man.
CC: I know, I know. We are going to talk anyway. We're going to talk. The marathon continues. I've got some great ideas still.
Vybz: Yeah. Ready for work, man. Now ready now, man.
CC: Yeah, let's do it man.
Vybz: Fu*** up Jamaica, I can f*** up England and f*** up New York and amen. Central Cee, Kartel, Bumbaclart global.
CC: The Goat, the goat. Appreciate you Vybz, bro.
Central Cee on his love for Amy Winehouse and crying watching her film…
I've been listening to a lot of Amy Winehouse. Do you know what? Growing up, my household wasn't really that musical. I didn't have access to any music. I had one MP3 with maybe 12 songs on it, and listened to them on repeat for years. Never had the internet, never had a phone until big ages init. So I was listening to music. I didn't get to choose what music I was listening to and that's probably why from young I started actually just writing my own music, bro. I didn't even listen to Jay-Z until I was a big age. I had to go back and do my proper homework on a lot of these people. Amy Winehouse is one of them people that I've gone back and listened to in recent times and got to really appreciate. I watched her film on the plane and see me, I'm not emotional, I don't cry. I definitely don't cry. Whether I'm emotional or not, I don't cry. But the film made me cry and I listened to the songs back after I actually cried to the music. I said, no, this is mad. It's her story and just the music is great and it's so real. She was saying things in the movie that I related to. The music comes from real life in its show, not going Studio for time, and just living a real life and I can really hear that in the music. There's some real pain and I like that. That was two from one of the greats. Amy Winehouse, ‘Back To Black’.
Central Cee on his love for Billie Eilish and knowing every lyric of ‘BIRDS OF A FEATHER’…
You see me, I don't know lyrics. I was saying it to the man I know ‘Juicy’ by Biggie Smalls just about off by heart and that's the only song and then nearly, I think after listening to it maybe a thousand times, know Billie Eilish, ‘BIRDS OF A FEATHER’. I need to listen to something for time to hear lyrics. I think I fancied her first. I was looking at her, I was just watching the videos to look at her and then I started thinking, yeah, no, this is actually cold. And then now I dunno if it's ‘mind games’. I've just heard it so much, but I love it. I just love the music now. I don't even care if I could just listen to the music now. I just love the music. It's not even about her anymore … I've just been told that was one of the biggest songs of last year, and it kind of makes me think that when something's so popular, I know people do it with my music. I'm not actually as unique as I think I am for liking that song, but I am in my circle, isn't it? I guess it's good that it's a popular song.
Central Cee on Drake and the nostalgia it brings him listening to ‘Take Care’...
One of the next greats I'm going to be playing is the boy Drake. I want to throw it all the way back to the album. That really inspired me. Like I was saying, I didn't have much access to music growing up, but I did have two albums that I've played on repeat religiously, ‘Blacklisted’ by Skepta and ‘Take Care’ by Drake. When I listen to those two albums today, I get an actual feeling, a nostalgic feeling. It takes me right back to my bedroom where I would just listen to them albums on repeat. The first song off Drake's ‘Take Care’ that I'm going to play is ‘Shot For Me’.
Central Cee on growing up without music and films, and his love for Damian Marley…
I'm not a consumer. I watched films on the plane for the first time, but I'm telling you, I grew up like a nun. My mom never had the TV on or the radio. I must have heard LBC if I was lucky. I weren't listening to music, bro. I had to think and draw and do things init in real life. On that note, on an introspective, wisdom note, Damian Marley is one of my greats. The whole family, the Marley family. I could be generic and say Bob, but actually Damian has done the best at really taking the message that his pops was spreading and doing it in a more modern way, in a way that can really translate to the youth of today's time. I'm going to play Damian Marley & Nas ‘Road To Zion’. Nas, one of the goats from America, just them two worlds colliding. It is yet to be done again. It's like they're both so different but so similar at the same time. They both gangsta about sending a message. What I really enjoyed about that album (‘Distant Relatives’) was the merge of two different worlds. When I come to think of it, it's actually mad innit really. Two different Sonics merged together very well.
Central Cee on why he loves Lil Durk…
A newer, great for me, is Lil Durk. I'm lucky enough to collaborate with him. You know that question. If you had to listen to one person for the rest of your life, I think I’d actually say (Lil) Durk still. It's the vulnerability that Durk would just say some mad things that no one else would really say. The relatability, I dunno, he just says things so straight to the point. See me, I don't really care about wordplay or puns and similes and things like that. I just want to hear what relates to me kind of thing. And Durk will just say all of them things. It is probably shaped the way that I rap in the way it's contradictive, he will do the bad boy thing and then he's smooth and soft and then he's, I dunno, it's just so up and down. It's just so human, isn't it? Whereas I think a lot of artists nowadays that I can't ever buy into an artist where there's just one side init. I know you are human so you're not a character. Let me see some flaws, like Durk will really put his flaws on blast.
