It takes more than songs to crossover into mass appeal, it takes presence. Through a screen Central Cee has tons of presence. The body covering tattoos, the wavy hair, the charming smile, all shine through the screen but the closer you get to him the dimmer that shine becomes.
The best thing about U.K. drill is that the punishing bass from the 808s and the sliding only makes it that much more visceral. The sliding 808s of “Tension,” “Little Bit of This” and “Retail Therapy” buzz through the entire crowd but instead of creating a roiling, the speaker’s buzz resonates among listeners like a tuning fork.
Central Cee is a singular artist but so is his performance. Focused on solely rapping his lyrics, Cee is divorced from his enormous crowd. Just a few rows ahead, the crowd pulses like a living lung as it expands and collapses due to mosh pits. Continuing to pace the stage and shouting his lyrics, “Khabib” plays, another deep cut. It then becomes clear as another mosh pit forms that Central Cee’s music is much more niche in Canada than his internet celebrity.