Photo Diaries: Central Cee Lights Up London In Special O2 Headline Show With Dave, Lil Baby, Asake, Skepta & More

Last Thursday evening saw Central Cee perform at his sold out London show at The O2, an evening that promised so much and delivered to the maximum capabilities. There’s no doubt that the Shepherd’s Bush hailing talent is one of the biggest International stars across the globe; with 25 million monthly listeners to his name, his rise to the top has been nothing short of impressive.

Performing a stacked setlist of thirty-one tracks across two hours, those in attendance recieved their moneys worth, with The O2 being turned into a cultural hub and celebration of the UK rap scene for the evening. Opening the evening playing some of his biggest solo hits including ‘Day In The Life’, ‘6 for 6’ and ‘Commitment Issues’.

The second of three part-divided set started off the series of surprise guests, with Skepta coming out to perform ‘Ten’, Asake coming through to perform ‘Wave’, Shallipopi coming through to perform ‘LAHO’ and Kamal popping out to perform ‘Now We’re Strangers’.

But it doesn’t stop there.

The last two years of rap music have been dominated by a handful of tracks, undeniably sensational in their virality. No stranger to The O2 himself, Young Adz came through to perform ‘Overseas’ with Central Cee, which despite coming out in 2021, is still played far and wide today.

Taking to the stage to a huge reception, South London’s Dave took to the stage to perform ‘UK Rap’ & ‘Sprinter’, which together have more than a billion streams across the globe. Greatness, in London, live. With the crowd charged up already, one more surprise was still in store, with Central Cee bringing out Lil Baby for ‘BAND4BAND’.

The show stood as a nostalgic window of reflection into the very best days of UK rap. Think Skepta coming out for Smoke Boys. Chip’s reputation for bringing out half the scene to shut down the place. Drake for Giggs at Reading. The UK scene is very much alive, and it’s here to stay.

Central Cee embodies the UK rap industry and has championed the scene across the globe, and for that, we should give thanks.