Top UK Drill Artist Central Cee Signs With Columbia Records

Top UK Drill Artist Central Cee Signs With Columbia Records

Known British rapper Central Cee is collaborating with Columbia Records and Sony Music U.K. in a joint activity.

The rapper, better known to his followers as “Cench,” made history on Wednesday when he was named to XXL magazine’s prized annual “Freshman Class” list for the first time ever as a British male rapper.

Executive vice president of Columbia, Bu Thiam, directed the negotiation with Central Cee’s manager, Bello. The independent rapper was the target of a competitive bidding battle in recent weeks; although the details of the Columbia agreement were not disclosed, the joint venture suggests that he will probably continue to control his recordings as he has in the past.

With his strong flow and good looks, Central Cee is hailed by many as probably the next big British rapper. While British rappers have traditionally struggled for national exposure in the U.S., this is partly due to differences in accents and lexicon.

His most recent track “Sprinter” with artist Dave remains number one at the U.K. singles charts for a third straight week, claiming the highest opening week for a rap single in 2023 and at least 25 million monthly listens on Spotify. Additionally, Central Cee is the…