Central Cee finally got 21 Savage on a UK rap track

Also on Rated by THE FACE: Chy Cartier, Sam Akpro, Saya Gray and Jeshi.
Music
Words: Davy Reed, Tiffany Lai
There’s much music out there and sometimes it’s hard to keep up.
Rather than letting the algorithm dictate your music taste, you can listen to Rated by THE FACE – a playlist that’s updated by our (human) editorial team every week.
Jeshi – Scumbag
East London rapper Jeshi is about to drop his second album Airbag Woke Me Up, and Scumbag is one more single for the road. With a big bass, bouncy beat and a sample of Dizzee Rascal’s 2004 single Stand Up Tall, on Scumbag Jeshi gets all nostalgic about “getting up to no good” in his younger days. Cool video too. TL
Central Cee – GBP ft. 21 Savage
Ever since it was dramatically revealed that 21 Savage is originally from London, there’s been plenty of speculation about which UK artist he’ll collaborate with. But when the stone-faced rapper eventually came over for a ‘homecoming’ show at The 02 in 2023, also filming a video for his single Redrum in Brixton, no such collab materialised. Central Cee, who’s gained far more attention in the US than any other UK rapper, is the sensible choice. GBP sounds like it was carefully tailored with big streaming numbers in mind. The warm soul sample brings to mind 21 Savage’s 2018 hit A Lot, and Cench sharply contrasts his voice with an Atlanta accent on the hook – a trick which generated mass virality for Band4Band, his track with Lil Baby. But if Central Cee wants his imminent debut album Can’t Rush Greatness to stand the test of time, he needs more than viral moments. Fortunately, he’s still rapping like his life depends on it. DR
Chy Cartier – Not The One
When Corteiz mastermind Clint was recently asked about his top three UK artists right now, his answer was firm. “Chy Cartier, Chy Cartier, Chy Cartier,” he said (before remembering to also shout out Corteiz label artist Dexter in the Newsagent). The much-hyped Tottenham rapper has kicked off her year with this tough-talking track, in which she knocks out quotable punchlines with unpredictable flows over a menacing beat. Chy will follow it up with another single later this month, and it’s rumoured her debut tape is dropping in Q1 this year, so expect her to enter your top three if she’s not there already. DR
Sam Akpro – Evenfall
The sun is still going down before 5pm in the UK, so us Brits need plenty of material to soundtrack those melancholic after-work commutes. South Londoner Sam Akpro has just the song for this. Evenfall is built with soupy guitars, thrashed cymbals and brooding vocals that are smudged like street lights peaking through a steamed-up bus window. DR
Saya Gray – Lie Down
“If I lie down in this life, would you mention me? asks indie experimentalist Saya Gray on Lie Down, on which a dreamy, gentle sound cushions the deep lyrics about death and unrequited love. The track will appear on her upcoming debut album Saya, which drops 21st February. TL
