Central Cee’s Can’t Rush Greatness World Tour consumed Terminal 5 in New York on Wednesday (May 28). I say “consumed” because to enter Terminal 5 on the following night was to enter into a world dominated by nothing less than rabid, unchecked Cench fandom. I admittedly got there late, and heard Central Cee walk out on stage to a clamor of drums and screams while I meandered through security. When the walls shook with the rapper’s arrival, a young girl screamed for her friend to “hurry the f—k up” through the line, as if they had anything to do with the pace of security.
“If I miss GBP I’ll f—king kill you!” she exclaimed in all seriousness before ultimately bailing on her friend and barreling toward the stage.
This esurient energy was everywhere from the moment I got inside. Sweaty young supporters hurled themselves into mosh pits while shoving their friends and bulldozing their way toward the stage . A few die-hards carried vinyls, signs and handfuls of pens in the hopes of catching Central Cee’s fleeting attention. The U.K. spitter briefly indulged one fan early on in his set, signing his cap after it was hurled at him on stage, but the moment was ruined when dozens of others soared through the sky immediately after.
What struck me most amidst the ongoing chaos was Central Cee’s steadiness. There were some colorful visuals, but otherwise, it was just him on stage, rapping through “Ten,” “St. Patricks,” “Top Freestyle” “Gata” and more with the precision of a vet, but with the stage presence of a newly minted underground self-starter.
He couldn’t possibly be unaware of how beloved he is. The whole front row hollered every single word to “Truth in the Lies,” and three teen boys standing in front of me nearly tumbled off the balcony when he performed “Sprinter.” During his performance of “Gen Z Luv,” he FaceTimed a young girl in the crowd (a gimmick he’s used many times on tour so far), but the girl in question confidently spit every syllable in the song so confidently it felt staged.
Even if it was partially staged, the commitment was commendable. No special guests arrived (Cench had brought out A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie the previous night at Brooklyn Paramount), there was no backup dancers or any other fluff to add spectacle. The only “surprise” was when Cench busted out his seminal “On the Radar” freestyle, which he didn’t even need to rap because his fans drowned out the bars themselves. Prior to that, he played a few moments from Ice Spice’s “Did It First,” which garnered a surprisingly muted response.
The energy admittedly dipped during slower moments. “Limitless” didn’t pop off the way it should have, and Cench sat down for a performance of 2023’s “Cold Shoulder” that only some truly faithful Day One’s knew the words to. Regardless, the love was there, and the supporters came roaring back to life for a few more hits, most notably “Band4Band,” which the three teen boys in front of me knew, videoing each other singing with their phones. The trio had been clamoring for Central Cee’s attention all night, screaming at him during every lull. As Cench wandered around the stage, rapping “Band4Band,” the U.K. rap star finally looked up and gave a wave, causing the kids to dap each other up and almost seize in excitement.
“That was legendary,” one of them said as everyone stumbled out the venue. It was just Central Cee being himself, and for the sold-out crowd at Terminal 5, that was more than enough to satiate them.
