Central Cee, Birmingham Utilita Arena: UK's biggest breakthrough rapper dwarfed by a too-big venue

Telegraph

19-04-2025

When Central Cee concluded his previous tour at London's Alexandra Palace in November 2022, he admitted that 'I wish I had more hits'. Fast-forward to the first UK date of his new arena-sized run, and the west London rapper (real name Oakley Caesar-Su) can consider that wish at least partly granted. No longer an up-and-comer with a scant back catalogue, he's now unquestionably UK rap's biggest breakthrough artist, laying claim to billions of streams, multiple Brit nominations, the most streamed UK rap song of all time (2023's Sprinter), and a recent debut album – Can't Rush Greatness – that topped the UK charts and made a splash across the pond.
But Birmingham's Utilita Arena – utilitarian by nature, too – threatened to swallow whole Cee's slender presence on Friday night. His rap is a tempered version of UK drill, which operates on dark realism and relentless pace: intensity that would compel a small, sweaty room, but got lost in the vast arena space. Not that the moshing fans at the front seemed to notice.
'This is not a show for the mainstream fans, for the new fans. I'm coming for the day ones,' warned Cee, after emerging from a car parked on stage beneath industrial scaffolding that doubled as that most overdone of set designs: a house interior. A fanfare of sirens and blue lights heralded his arrival: stage production that leaned into the starkness of UK drill, but also into its stereotypes. He began with two tracks from the new album, a record crammed with equally textbook zero-to-hero tales and laddish boasts about girls and money. Yet there's a vulnerability to his verses, such as opener Limitless's quiet disclosure: 'I put up the bread for my broski's funeral / that was my first time booking a hearse.'
This is, after all, a rapper who insists on scented candles backstage, who performs with uncommon solemnity. Still, he warmed up as the evening progressed, playing up to his good looks – the kind that belong on teenage bedroom walls. A young crowd, many accompanied by parents, turned the arena into a hall of tiny mirrors with their phones. Cee followed suit during social media ode Gen Z Luv, using his phone to broadcast a live FaceTime call on the big screens.
He provided plenty of material for the 'day ones', too: 2020 breakthrough hits Day in the Life and Loading, Commitment Issues, rapped along to by the crowd, and 2022 viral international smash Doja. He eschewed his usual tracksuit for a white vest, blue jeans, and red bandana for the latter: an outfit that nodded to his notable success in the US, where he far outstrips peers Stormzy and Dave. 'Nobody else from London's gone Hollywood,' he brags on the title track of Can't Rush Greatness, which he performed slouched across a throne, sporting his now trademark jumbo diamond-encrusted chain with its pendant of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Despite these instances of flamboyance – pyrotechnic also featured heavily all night – this was a high-budget show that felt curiously low-budget. The starkness may have been intentional, but the arena setting engulfed Cee's more vulnerable and profound moments. It didn't help that the venue was only about two-thirds full. Maybe you can rush greatness, after all.