Central Cee Says it Would Have Been 'Predictable' to Have Drake Feature on Debut Album

The Drakelessness of Central Cee’s debut studio album can be attributed, at least in part, to the 26-year-old’s penchant for subverting expectations.

In a recent conversation with Fernando Halman for FunX, Cee was asked point-blank if he has a new Drake record ready to go. Speculation had been high in the run-up to Can’t Rush Greatness that Cee would indeed enlist the 6 God for the album, though the final 17-track experience—counting features from 21 Savage, Skepta, and more—included no such thing.

“I’m sure there’s a Drake record in the vaults, yeah,” Cee said when asked about Drizzy.

He elaborated further on how he feels about not having Drake on the album, which has received widespread acclaim and is looking to make a strong showing on the next Billboard 200 chart update. Cee acknowledged that some fans had assumed an on-album collaboration between the two, who linked up for an On the Radar freestyle in 2023, was inevitable.

“I don’t like that it seemed, like, predictable. … I think everybody was thinking there’s gonna be a Drake record on there,” he said. “So I like the fact that it wasn’t.”

Can't Rush Greatness also features appearances by Young Miko, Dave, Lil Durk, and Lil Baby. In a review for Complex UK, Joseph “JP” Patterson deemed the project an example of an “instant rap classic.”

Fans have been quick to dig into choice lyrics from the album, particularly on the vulnerable “Now We’re Strangers.” The song finds Cee in a reflective state of mind about a past relationship, with fans speculating that he’s rapping about former romantic partner Madeline Argy.

Cee was accused by Argy of infidelity last year, with Ice Spice (who's seemingly referenced in album opener “No Introduction”) ultimately getting caught up in the ensuing drama.