Shonen anime is the most popular genre within anime. Even then, there are people who avoid it; often citing not knowing where to begin. An easy starting point is Naruto and its sequel, Naruto Shippuden. This series was many people’s entry point to anime after seeing episodes on Toonami (RIP my man, Tom) and often led to exploring other series and genres within anime like slice-of-life, drama, isekai, and the degenerate ones.
British rap or UK rap shares a few themes with shonen anime: stories of underdog protagonists overcoming impossible odds to be successful, references to violence, more individual acts than anyone could ever fully explore, and misogyny.
As an American who has never been to the UK, I am by no means an authority on British rap. What I do have, however, are plenty of takes and a desire to go down musical rabbit holes. So if you lot will allow me, I’m going to try and convince you to join me across the musical pond.
The point is getting away from me, though. Much like Naruto’s central place in the shonen Mt. Rushmore alongside Deku, Goku, and Luffy, there is a but single artist who is central to introducing new listeners to UK rap: Central Cee (I wish I could fit another “central” in this sentence).
Central Cee, or Cench as he often refers to himself, is a rapper from London’s West End. But his actual music and personality matter less than his role in the genre. Allow me to cook.
Cench has worked with mainstream superstars, Bri’ish and non-Bri’ish. He’s collabed with Ice Spice, Drake, and even some good songs! Like Dave, Blanco, Asake, and more. So there’s a chance even non-UK rap-enjoyers have heard his iconic “ahhhright”.
Do I think Cench is the best UK rapper? Absolutely not. Much like Naruto, he’s fine; not great, but an excellent place to start exploring subgenres. Central Cee is an easy recommend to hip-hop fans because people have probably heard him without even intending to. He has a marketing superpower that we in the music industry call being lightskinned. Executives might see him as promotable in ways that darker-skinned rappers might not be.
An uncanny resemblance. Credit: Shonen Jump/Getty Images
Dave raps circles around Cench, but he has half as many monthly Spotify listeners (14.9M and 31.9M, respectively). Little Simz, who is both dark-skinned and a woman has about 5.5M Spotify listeners. And sure, colorism and sexism in hip-hop aren’t new takes, but it is noteworthy. In a similar vein, Naruto Uzumaki—his absurd outfit notwithstanding—is a blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy that is more easily recognizable to American cartoon audiences as opposed to a bosomy schoolgirl (at least until he does his sexy jutsu) that non-anime watchers often associate with the medium.
It's worth spelling out that the kinds of media that people are exposed to is often the choice of marketing teams, executives, and other individuals who never interact with the source material. Think of how many popular shows on Netflix have splash ads as soon as you open the streaming service. People can’t consume what they don’t know exists. As algorithms increasingly dictate the media we interact with, word-of-mouth and personal recommendations are going to be crucial for promoting the kinds of media that resonate with you and that audiences want to see more of. This is an important point in Kyle Chayka’s book “Filterworld: How Algorithms Flattened Culture”.
I don’t mean that to be shady either. I’m a big believer in introspective endorsements and criticism. Do you like something because it’s good or because it was put in front of you? An idea worth interrogating every now and again.
Back to the crucial work of analyzing UK rap and shonen anime. Once people have been exposed to Cench or Mr. Uzumaki, it’s very likely that they check out other related work.
Cench could lead listeners toward other rappers like Little Simz, AJ Tracey, or Knucks. He could also lead people—through the many genre-hopping features that he’s on—into afrobeats, UK drill, NY drill, or R&B.
After giving Naruto a chance, people may check out other popular shonen anime. On the other end of the spectrum, the action-oriented—Shippuden pacing issues aside—nature of Naruto may push people toward other anime subgenres like comedies or slice-of-life series.
I don’t say all of this to dunk on people who genuinely enjoy Central Cee or Naruto, the opposite, actually. Getting people interested in things you like is extremely difficult. So, if your entry point is a shadow-cloning jinchuriki who wants you to believe it or a bantu knot-wearing lightskin ting from the West End, more power to you.
Rap is already a giant bucket. Regional variations, like UK rap, are full of nuance and interesting inspirations that you’d never hear if you didn’t take the first step. Similarly, anime is a lot more than poorly paced arcs, jiggle physics, and tournament arcs. I’d encourage anyone reading this to see what’s own there and explore your interests. You never know what you like until you give it a try.
I had to include this. Credit: Central Cee’s Instagram
As a thank you for getting this far, here’s a playlist I send to friends as a primer on UK rap:
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