Hot 100 First-Timers: Central Cee Scores First Entry With Drake Collab ‘On the Radar Freestyle’
Rapper Central Cee, from Shepherd’s Bush, London, notches his first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 (dated Aug. 12), thanks to his new collaboration with Drake, “On the Radar Freestyle.”
The song, released July 21 via OVO Sound, debuts at No. 80 on the Hot 100 with 7.1 million official U.S. streams, according to Luminate. It also debuts at No. 33 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
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Drake and Central Cee recorded the song during Drake’s New York City stop on his It’s All a Blur Tour. On the Radar, hosted by WWPR (Power 105.1)’s Gabe P, is a New York-based platform that includes interviews with and freestyles from up-and-coming rappers. While many artists have recorded freestyles on the show, this is the first such track to appear on a Billboard chart. (Notably, Ice Spice included her freestyle from the show, recorded in May 2022, on the deluxe version of her EP Like..?)
Central Cee is already a certified hitmaker in his home country. He has charted 12 songs on the Official U.K. Singles chart, including six top 10s and one No. 1: “Sprinter,” with fellow English rapper Dave, has spent nine consecutive weeks and counting at the summit.
Two of his songs have nearly debuted on the Hot 100. “Sprinter” climbed to No. 2 on the Hot 100’s Bubbling Under ranking a week ago (and stands at No. 4 this week) and “Doja” reached No. 12 last year. Both songs have hit Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart; “Sprinter” reached No. 29 last week and “Doja” peaked at No. 36.
The MC has also tallied several hits around the world, with four of his songs having made the Billboard Global 200: “Obsessed With You” (No. 200 peak in 2021), “Doja” (No. 19, 2022), “Let Go” (No. 31, this January) and “Sprinter” marking his first top 10 (No. 9, June).
Central Cee has yet to drop a full-length studio album, although he has released two mixtapes: 2021’s Wild West and 2022’s 23. He released his most-recent project, the four-track EP Split Decision, in June.
Drake and Central Cee have been linked since the latter became the face of Drake’s Nike x Nocta collection in 2021. Drake also brought out Central Cee to perform “Doja” during his private concert in St. Barts last December. The following month, Drake premiered the video for his track “Jumbotron Shit Poppin,” in which Central Cee makes a cameo.
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