News : Central Cee: "Right now, this ain't really living. This is just working"

In an exclusive chat with Apple Music 1's Dotty, West London's own Central Cee opens up about his epic O2 Arena homecoming, his ambitious visions for future tours, and finding calm amidst the chaos of global stardom.

Central Cee on performing at London’s The O2 arena…
It’s a big day isn’t it?! As a rapper or any artist from the UK, The O2, that's probably a dream for anyone. It's the reward that you get from taking a risk, innit? To me, it's not a chance, I didn't get lucky, I actually worked, we'd done the groundwork, I’ve done O2 Islington, 250 people in 2016.

On what he thinks he will improve in terms of stage production for his next tour…

Maybe just visual-wise I would've toned down the visuals, like the graphics on the screen and I would've had more moving parts. There's a bit in the show, on ‘Day in the Life’ where the mandem are chilling up there, there's mandem on the stairs there, and there's something going on in a cafe down there, and they kind of go on a robbery, the mandem actually perform a robbery and whatever in person, but I could have done a whole show like that, that kind of a feel. Yeah [it’s like the West End], Broadway thing. I would've done that. I think it's cool. It's different. But we've only got one thing like that right now in the show.

On the special guests for the show…

Who we got coming out? I've got [Lil] Baby, Sexyy Red, Skepta, Young Adz, Dave. Even when I'm thinking about it today, me and Dave's never even performed UK Rap. I performed that so many times, we've never performed it together. Because part of me was thinking, "Dave is just expected." Me and Dave, they know us, but bro, we ain't even performed, we've hardly ever performed together, so that should be great.

On what he does to relax and find stillness…

Probably being in my yard. I don't know. I've chilled in Thailand, actually. Look, I've chilled in Thailand and I've turned my phone off for seven days straight before. Even in my yard, my own house in England, I've turned my phone off for seven days and I feel great. It's mad. Even yesterday, I was stressing, because remember, look, I'm stressed now. O2, it's a big day, I've got so much family, friends, the guest list is so mad, bare people that want to see man and little cousins and this and that. But I'm trying to focus on the show, this and that, so I'm stressed. I was looking at my phone, texting, I'm texting…and then I lifted off. I don't know if they even had wifi, I didn't check. So I've got nothing, and straight away, I just found calmness in my head and I could un-puzzle whatever was going on in my head.

On what will fulfill him in the future…
Having kids and just raising kids and little things. I don't know. I've seen my gran and that get gassed or even my mum get gassed when she's put a seed in the ground and her tomatoes come up. Just do simple things like that … Right now, this ain't really living. This is just working. And one day, I'll live a life and have a life.