Century

Album: released as a single (2025)
Charted: 10 106
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Century" is the first single from Liverpool rapper EsDeeKid following his breakout mixtape Rebel and the success of his single "Phantom." Where "Phantom" introduced him as a defiant upstart, "Century" plants the flag: he's not just in the game, he's here to define it.
  • EsDeeKid calls himself "the hardest out of this century," a line that pulses through the song like a mission statement. It's both boast and prediction, delivered with absolute conviction (and possibly a smirk).
  • The production, courtesy of 6cppo & Panafriqana, weaves a harpsichord into the mix, giving the beat a faintly medieval shimmer. It's a sly nod to EsDeeKid's self-styled knight aesthetic, one he leaned into during his Rebel tour, when he performed in armored gloves and a cloak-like hoodie. The result? A song that sounds like hip-hop colliding with Game of Thrones.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Bill Withers

Bill WithersSongwriter Interviews

Soul music legend Bill Withers on how life experience and the company you keep leads to classic songs like "Lean On Me."

Curt Kirkwood of Meat Puppets

Curt Kirkwood of Meat PuppetsSongwriter Interviews

The (Meat)puppetmaster takes us through songs like "Lake Of Fire" and "Backwater," and talks about performing with Kurt Cobain on MTV Unplugged.

Song Cities

Song CitiesMusic Quiz

Nirvana, Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen are among those who wrote songs with cities that show up in this quiz.

John Lee Hooker

John Lee HookerSongwriter Interviews

Into the vaults for Bruce Pollock's 1984 conversation with the esteemed bluesman. Hooker talks about transforming a Tony Bennett classic and why you don't have to be sad and lonely to write the blues.

Tom Waits Lyrics Quiz

Tom Waits Lyrics QuizMusic Quiz

Pool balls, magpies and thorns without roses - how well do you know your Tom Waits lyrics?

Chris Rea

Chris ReaSongwriter Interviews

It took him seven years to recover from his American hit "Fool (If You Think It's Over)," but Chris Rea became one of the top singer-songwriters in his native UK.