''23'' is the second mixtape by British rapper

Central Cee Oakley Neil H. T. Caesar-Su (born 4 June 1998), known professionally as Central Cee, is a British rapper and songwriter from Shepherd's Bush, London. He rose to prominence in 2020 with the release of the singles "Day in the Life" and "Loading". ...

, released independently on 25 February 2022. It was preceded by the release of the singles " Obsessed with You", "Retail Therapy", "Cold Shoulder" and "Khabib". On 4 March 2022, it debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart. It features guest appearances from

Rondodasosa Mattia Barbieri (born 29 April 2002), known professionally as Rondodasosa, is an Italian rapper. Born in San Siro, Milan, he began his musical career in 2020. He released his debut EP, ''Giovane Rondo'', the same year. Early life Mattia grew up ...

, Baby Gang, A2anti, Morad, Beny Jr, Ashe 22, Freeze Corleone and Lil Bro.

Critical reception

PJ Somervelle of '' The Line of Best Fit'' called the mixtape's "subject matter and approach ..largely consistent with ''

Wild West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

''", summarising it as "rapid bursts of tracks, many lasting only a couple of minutes .. it's clear that this is fast music for the TikTok/streaming generation".

Alexis Petridis Alexis Petridis ( el, Αλέξης Πετρίδης; born 13 September 1971) is a British journalist, head rock and pop critic for the UK newspaper ''The Guardian'', as well as a regular contributor to the magazine '' GQ''. In addition to his mus ...

of '' The Guardian'' complimented Central Cee's "powerful flow" and ability to "turn a phrase", as well as "how good eis at the business of making records, not just writing" with "really strong musical ideas on display". Reviewing the album for the ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after b ...

'', David Smyth found the mixtape to have the "murky, rumbling bass of drill music" but that Central Cee's "crisp, rhythmic lyrics are less dense with slang than the standards of the genre and he's more likely to brag about a vibrant sex life than a violent past".

Critical reception

Track listing

Charts

Certifications

References