Central Cee’s Viral LA Leakers Freestyle Hits DSPs

The rising hit-maker compares U.K. and U.S. slang in impressive verse.

The U.K. breakout’s latest viral moment arrives on the heels of his U.K. No. 2 Hit “Doja” and ahead of his “Still Loading” world tour. With over 142 million worldwide streams and 44 million video views, “Doja” debuted at No. 2 on the U.K. charts and currently sits in Spotify’s Global Top 25.

Taking over Britain with his fierce charisma and quotable slick talk, Central Cee aims to bridge the gap between the U.K. and U.S. rap scenes. Cleverly creating a cheat sheet for American fans interested in his home nation’s rap scene, Cench officially releases his “LA Leakers Freestyle” on all DSPs. Recorded earlier this week when Cench sat down with Power 106.1’s Justin Credible and DJ Sour Milk, the new freestyle provides a veritable dictionary for those who wish to know what separates the “trenches” from the “ends,” ultimately proving that the streets in both countries are not so different after all: “We say ‘Cash, Ps, Racks, Gs,’ we don’t really call them bands/In L.A, it’s Escaladess, in the ends, it’s Mercedes Vans/Watch my back, I’m paranoid/That’s what I mean when I say that I’m prang.” Earning praise from outlets like The FADER, REVOLT, HotNewHipHop, and many more, the video of the freestyle racked up over 700,000 views in its first two days and reached YouTube’s all-categories trending chart.

The new freestyle arrives hot on the heels of “Doja,” the rapper’s viral smash. The track marked a huge moment, as Central Cee became the first ever U.K. artist to have a video directed by the iconic Cole Bennett, and hosted on Lyrical Lemonade. To date, “Doja” racked up over 140 million streams and over 44 million views on its YouTube video. The song debuted at No. 2 on the U.K.’s Official Charts and it currently sits on the chart at No. 12. The song is a worldwide smash, marking his highest charting positions in Australia, Germany, Benelux, and more, and reaching Spotify’s Top 10 Daily Plays in 21 markets. The song reached Shazam’s Global Top 100 chart, peaked at No. 19 on Billboard’s Global 200 songs chart (it currently sits at No. 45), and tore up TikTok to the tune of over 750k video creations.

The 23-year-old artist rides a cresting wave of momentum to his “Still Loading World Tour.” Kicking off in October, the “Still Loading World Tour” starts in the United States, where Cench will perform his first-ever American headlining dates, before heading to Europe on October 31. The tour culminates in London on November 22, as Cench headlines a special show at the historic Alexandra Palace. Australian fans should stay tuned for the announcement of dates in Melbourne and Sydney. Several dates, including New York and London, are already sold out, and the rest are selling fast.With an international appeal and high anticipation around his every move, Central Cee is the U.K.’s hottest and most followed rapper, with a social audience of over 8 million, and an awe-inspiring 2 Billion global artist streams. Transcending the U.K. rap scene, 65% of Central Cee’s fans are outside of the U.K., with him regularly charting across the globe.

Earlier this year, the West London-hailing rapper whipped up a frenzy with the release of his critically acclaimed 23 mixtape – a project that debuted at No. 1 in the U.K. official charts and followed on from 2021’s Wild West, which was the highest-selling British debut project of the year.

Accolades are numerous for this high-flying young artist. Following on from his chart-scaling single and platinum viral hit “Obsessed With You,”  Cench released a GRM Daily Duppy, which went on to be the highest charting in history. Earning a stellar position in 2022’s BBC Sound Poll, Central Cee consequently received an astounding three Brit Award nominations – for Best New Artist, Best Song, and Best British Hip Hop, Rap, Grime act. Not forgetting his feature on the platinum-certified “Overseas” with D-Block Europe, which was one of 2022’s highest-selling U.K. Rap singles.

A keen fashion head, Cench has previously dropped a limited run of merch in collaboration with U.K. Streetwear brands Corteiz,  and Trapstar, both of which sold out in minutes.

With co-signs from The Guardian, Pitchfork, NME, Clash, Complex, Crack, Lil Baby, Big Sean, Wizkid, Jacquemus, Louis Vuitton, Virgil Abloh and Drake, Central Cee is the biggest name of the moment and impossible to ignore.

Central Cee has an undeniable magnetism. On Christmas Day 2021, in the wake of his enormous Pink Pantheress-sampling single “Obsessed With You,”  he released a GRM Daily Duppy (a performance on one of the U.K.’s most popular street rap platforms), which went on to be the highest charting in history. This year, after a stellar position in 2022’s BBC Sound Poll, Central Cee consequently received an astounding three BRIT Award nominations, for Best New Artist, Best Song, and Best British Hip Hop, Rap, Grime act. Late last year, Central Cee won Best Male Artist and Breakthrough Artist of The Year at the GRM Awards, accolades which add to his already incredible position as Spotify’s Radar Artist and YouTube’s Artist On The Rise, not to mention his recent double gong win at the MOBO Awards for Best Newcomer and Best Drill Act. The young superstar is currently gracing the cover of The Face Magazine, where he reveals the motivations that drive his rapid rise to the top.

Astounding fans and critics alike, CC’s independently released debut mixtape Wild West was the highest-selling independent project of 2021 and 2021’s only U.K. debut project to go Gold. The mixtape landed in the wake of the hugely successful singles “Loading” and “Commitment Issues”, breaking internationally and sending his name reverberating across the globe. Cench has a keen eye for fashion–on his debut tape campaign, Cench collaborated with U.K. Streetwear brands Corteiz,  and Trapstar on merch lines, both of which sold out within 60 minutes. The 23 mixtape campaign follows on in this vein, with CC releasing his own 23 merch, creating a fan-art-led physical edition of the tape, and collaborating with Trapstar on a merch line once again.

With co-signs from The Guardian, Pitchfork, NME, Clash, The Face, Complex, Crack, the late Virgil Abloh, and other global music icons, Central Cee is taking over, and the 23 mixtape’s arrival is certain to propel him even further on his unparalleled journey.