Central Cee rose to prominence in 2020 with the release of the singles "Day in the Life" and "Loading". His first mixtape Wild West was released on 12 March 2021, which debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart. His second mixtape 23 was released on 25 February 2022 and debuted atop the UK Albums Chart. Central Cee achieved further success with his single "Doja" in July 2022, which peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart and eventually became the most streamed UK rap song on Spotify. He released his first major-label EP No More Leaks in October 2022. In June 2023, he released the single "Sprinter" with Dave, which became his first UK number-one single and preceded their collaborative EP Split Decision. The single also became the longest-running number-one rap song in the UK, holding the position for 10 weeks.