Central Cee Drops Beats for Belief: Why the Rapper’s New Name Could Shake the Stars and Your Playlist!
Added on February 7, 2026 inMusic News Cards
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Ever wonder what it’s like when a chart-topping UK rapper decides to not just drop beats, but drop old identities too? Central Cee, known offstage as Oakley Neil Caesar-Su, just hit pause on the usual fame game to unveil a personal pivot — he’s embraced a new name, Akhil, and shared his journey of taking the Shahada, the Islamic declaration of faith. Now, if you’re thinking, “Is this just another celeb phase or a cosmic realignment?”, well, considering today’s planetary show—a Mercury-Uranus mashup sparking sudden revelations and bold moves—it kinda makes perfect sense. Central Cee’s transformation isn’t just spiritual; it’s a reminder that sometimes life demands we rewrite the script mid-chart-topper. From Shepherd’s Bush streets to collabs with Drake and J. Cole, his evolution asks: can fame and faith co-exist without missing a beat? Grab your cosmic compass — this tale’s got layers. LEARN MORE
Central Cee has opened up about his religious views after telling fans of his name change.
The ‘Sprinter’ hitmaker, born as Oakley Neil Caesar-Su, made the admission during a livestream with PlaqueBoyMax.
“I just changed my name init. I took my Shahada init,” the 27-year-old said, adding that he has changed his first name from Oakley to Akhil.
Shahada is essentially known as the Islamic declaration of faith with an estimated 25 percent of the world being Muslim, and six percent of the UK.
It’s the fastest-growing global religion, with over two billion adherents, closing the gap on Christianity.
Notably, the rapper from Shepherd’s Bush, London, hasn’t gone on record about his previous religious views.
Central Cee transitioned from a fresh 16-year-old on Fire In The Streets in 2014 to a major figure in UK rap by 2021.
Central Cee’s reported net worth is between six and $10 million (Chris Lee – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
He became the first UK rapper to achieve one billion streams with hits like ‘Sprinter’, ‘Doja’, ‘BAND4BAND’, and collaborations with the world’s biggest artists, from Drake and J. Cole to 21 Savage and Ice Spice.
“It’s only really starting to sink in now, I’ll be honest,” he told Complex last year.
“I’ve been moving so fast for so long that I haven’t had time to take it all in.
“I did start to feel a bit this summer, but I like working. I’ve only just come off tour, only had one week off.
“I dunno if I’m accustomed to just non-stop working now… even if I wanted to chill and be normal, I can’t. I don’t have the time to.”
Central Cee has collabed with the world’s biggest artists (Joseph Okpako/WireImage for ABA)
On the pitfalls of always being in the public eye, however, he admitted that he has ‘anxiety’ for his family’s safety.
“Two ways: musically and personally. I didn’t know if the shows would look good, sound good, turn out good, if they’d get sold out,” he added.
“I didn’t know. But they did, so that’s what I’m grateful for. And then I was anxious, personally, because it’s a lot.
“If I’ve got certain things going on in my personal life… my family, I’ve got anxiety around my family being safe. My friends as well.
“There’s a lot of anxiety around being on the road and not being able to help them, or being on the road and not helping myself. It could deteriorate your mental state a little bit. But we did it.”
Cench went on to say that he isn’t ‘worried’ about not being ‘as lit’ one day and says that it’s ‘inevitable’.
“I think about it strategically, though, like: How are we gonna maneuver and what’s the exit plan? I just want to make it as graceful as possible when that time comes,” he said.
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