Central Cee Artistfacts

June 4, 1998
Central Cee was born Oakley Neil Caesar-Su in Ladbroke Grove, London. His upbringing in Shepherd's Bush, a diverse and culturally vibrant area in West London, shaped much of his worldview and musical style.
He has a mixed ethnic background, with an English mother and a father of Guyanese and Chinese descent. When Central Cee was 7 his parents separated and he began living with his mother and two younger brothers.
Central Cee started writing raps at age 8, inspired by his father playing hip-hop music.
He attended local schools in West London, though he often expressed a sense of disconnection from formal education, feeling that his true calling lay elsewhere. Central Cee left school early to focus on his music career.

He told Crack magazine, "There are a lot of invaluable lessons you can learn on the roads. I think I learned more on my way to and from school rather than in it – at least skills that would help me survive."
He adopted his stage name "Central Cee" (initially listed as "Central C") in 2014 when he made an early public appearance on Charlie Sloth's "Fire in the Streets" series. The origin of the name is unknown.

He's also known by the nickname "Cench," a shortened version of his stage name that fans and fellow artists use.
In 2022, Central Cee became the first UK rapper to clock up a billion streams across his catalog in a single year. He celebrated his achievement in 2024 with "Billion Streams Freestyle."
His 2024 collaboration with Lil Baby, "Band4Band," went to #18 on the Billboard Hot 100, the highest position a UK rap single ever reached on that chart.
Central Cee has a distinctive fashion sense, blending streetwear with high fashion. In 2023, the rapper launched the streetwear brand Syna World. He also loves custom jewelry, especially diamond-studded chains and watches.
Central Cee enjoys riding electric dirt bikes, which he describes as therapeutic. He often rides in the English countryside, appreciating nature and using biking to de-stress.

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