Track will appear on the London rapper’s forthcoming debut, Can’t Rush Greatness
Central Cee and 21 Savage are watching the price go all the way up on their new song, “GBP.”
Over a beat of atmospheric synths and punchy drums, Central Cee leans into the transatlantic nature of the collaboration, using his verse and parts of the chorus to envision what his life would’ve been like if he hadn’t been born in London, but various places and times across the U.S.
“If I lived in Harlem, I would’ve been Mitch, them man would’ve been like Ace and snitched/If it was Oakland, I would’ve been a pimp/If it was 1930, North Carolina, I would’ve been Frank with the mink,” he raps, nodding to 2002 movie Paid in Full as well as the notorious North Carolina-born gangster Frank Lucas.
As for 21 Savage (who was born in the U.K., though raised in Atlanta), he gives a little nod to this cultural exchange with a quick reference to Premier League soccer. More importantly, he helps Centrall Cee crunch the currency exchange numbers on the key line of the chorus, “That’s GBP, the price go up if it’s USD.”
“GBP” also arrives with a music video, directed by Lyrical Lemonade founder Cole Bennett. The song is set to appear on Central Cee’s highly-anticipated debut album, Can’t Rush Greatness, which is slated to arrive next Friday, Jan. 24.
Along with “GBP,” Can’t Rush Greatness only has two other confirmed tracks so far, “Band4Band” — a collaboration with Lil Baby that landed on Rolling Stone’s list of the 20 Best Hip-Hop Songs of 2024 — and “Gen Z Luv.” While Can’t Rush Greatness marks Central Cee’s debut album, he’s released a string of mixtapes and EPs over the past several years. His most recent release was Split Decision, a 2023 collaborative release with Dave, and his 2022 solo mixtape, 23.
