Can't Rush Greatness is the upcoming debut studio album by British rapper Central Cee, scheduled to be released on 24 January 2025 through CC4L and Columbia Records.
Background and recording
On 11 September 2024, Central Cee appeared in an interview with Dazed, during which he noted that the album was receiving its "finishing touches".[1] He then spoke on what made this album different from his prior projects.
With the mixtapes, I was living in [the same] house I grew up in. Now we’ve elevated, we’re actually musicians. There were times it was hard to say man’s a musician. I was just a guy that [went into the] studio [sometimes]. Now, I’m an artist.
Release and promotion
Syna Edition cover
The term "can't rush greatness" has been used several times by Central Cee, earlier in his career.[2] The release of the album was first hinted at following the success of Cench's July 2022 single "Doja", his December 2022 single "Let Go", and his June 2023 collaboration "Sprinter" with Dave.[3] On 9 May 2024, Cench released the YouTube exclusive single, "CC Freestyle".[4][5] In the song's official music video, the letters "CRG" were seen in the intro, hinting at the start of the album's rollout.
In October 2024, Central Cee appeared on an NFL broadcast when it was announced that the album Can't Rush Greatness was "coming soon".[6] On 31 October, Cench shared the album's cover art and announced its release of 25 January 2025.[7] On 5 December, Central Cee premiered the first episode of his CRG Radio on Apple Music 1.[8][9]
On 6 December, Central Cee and London streetwear brand Trapstar collaborated to release album bundles that came with a "Trapstar Edition" album cover.[10]
On 26 December, Central Cee and his streetwear brand Syna released additional album bundles and clothing themed after the album's rose gold theme. A third album cover was released with the bundles.[11]
Singles
On 24 May 2024, Cench released the album's lead single, "Band4Band" with Lil Baby.[12] The track peaked at number 3 on the UK singles chart and at number 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[13] On 25 July 2024, Cench released the album's second single, "Gen Z Luv" which peaked at number 34 on the UK singles chart.[14] Later in August he released two singles, "Bolide Noir" with French rapper JRK 19 and "Billion Streams Freestyle."[15] In September, he released the single "Moi" with British singer Raye.[16] On 29 October, Cench released the single "One by One" which he debuted on ColorsxStudios.[17]
Track listing
The tracklist is expected to consist of 17 tracks according to Apple Music.
