Sprinter (song)
"Sprinter" | ||||
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Single by Dave and Central Cee | ||||
from the EP Split Decision | ||||
Released | 1 June 2023 | |||
Recorded | 2023 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:49 | |||
Label |
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Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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Dave singles chronology | ||||
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Central Cee singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Sprinter" on YouTube |
"Sprinter" is a song by British rappers Dave and Central Cee. The single was released 1 June 2023 through record labels Neighbourhood and Live Yours, and was included on the artist's collaborative EP Split Decision, released four days later. The song's instrumental has been characterized as a "guitar-led, subtle drill" beat with Latin influence.[2][3]
Sprinter debuted at number one in the UK Singles Chart, becoming Dave's third number-one single and Central Cee's first. The single became the longest-running number-one rap song in the UK, holding the position for 10 weeks.[4] It also topped the charts in Australia, Ireland, Luxembourg, New Zealand and Switzerland. Sprinter was ultimately the most streamed song on Spotify in the United Kingdom in 2023.[5]
The work won the PRS for Music Most Performed Work Ivor Novello Award on Thursday 23 May 2024.[6]
Background
The song was first teased by Cee on his Instagram stories on 18 March 2023, revealing that Dave had just sent him an audio file.[7] They were also spotted in the studio together on 10 May.[8]
Sprinter marks only the second time the two have teamed up on a song, the last one being a remix of "Spirit Bomb" (2016) by AJ Tracey.[9] Additionally, Dave helped produce the song "End of the Beginning" on the 23 mixtape in 2022.[10]
Composition
"Sprinter" sees the rappers trading "laid-back" verses over a "Latin-tinged, summer-ready"[3] beat characterised by "chopped-up acoustic guitars and wordless operatic vocals".[11]
David Renshaw of The Fader thought the track was distinguished by "bright wordplay and good vibes", while the lyrics talk about the "age-old problem" of partying with too many girls that a whole van is needed to transport them.[12] Robin Murray of Clash opined that the song "sits somewhere between drill and broader UK rap flavours" and allows the rappers "to do their thing".[13]
Music video
The music video, released on 2 June, switches between London and South France. Scenes in Monaco were filmed in late May 2023.[14] The video features a cameo by Nigerian artist Slawn.[7] The rappers are seen showcasing the perks of their lifestyle, showing off diamonds and other valuables.[15]
Commercial performance
United Kingdom
"Sprinter" debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, marking the biggest opening week of the year.[16] The track opened with 108,200 chart units in its first tracking week alongside 13.4 million streams, the biggest week of streams for a rap single ever in UK history.[16][17][18] By December 2023, Sprinter had received over 500 million streams on Spotify.[19]
The track peaked at number one in Australia after selling 13,000 units in its first tracking week.[20][21] The track also peaked at number one in Ireland, Luxembourg, New Zealand and Switzerland. In the United Arab Emirates, the song peaked at number 11.[22]
In the United States, the song peaked in the top ten of the Billboard Global 200 and the U.S. Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.[23] In Canada, "Sprinter" debuted at number five on the Canadian Hot 100 on 17 June 2023, becoming the highest peaking British hip hop single of all-time, surpassing M.I.A.'s 2008 song, "Paper Planes" which reached number seven.
Reception and legacy
The song was declared "song of the summer" for 2023 by UK Charts.[24] In August 2023, a video of American rapper J. Cole rapping along to Sprinter at record producer T-Minus' wedding went viral on social media.[25] Former U.S. President Barack Obama included the song on his annual playlist, which was released in December 2023.[26] At the MOBO Awards 2024, "Sprinter" won the award for best song.[27] At the 2024 Global Awards "Sprinter" was nominated for Best Song.[28]
Charts
Weekly charts |
Year-end charts
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Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[83] | 3× Platinum | 210,000‡ |
Belgium (BEA)[84] | Platinum | 40,000‡ |
Canada (Music Canada)[85] | Gold | 40,000‡ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[86] | Platinum | 90,000‡ |
France (SNEP)[87] | Platinum | 200,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI)[88] | Gold | 50,000‡ |
New Zealand (RMNZ)[89] | 2× Platinum | 60,000‡ |
Poland (ZPAV)[90] | Platinum | 50,000‡ |
Portugal (AFP)[91] | 2× Platinum | 20,000‡ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[92] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[93] | 2× Platinum | 1,200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[94] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
Streaming | ||
Greece (IFPI Greece)[95] | 2× Platinum | 4,000,000† |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ Dave And Central Cee’s ‘Sprinter’ Takes the Lead In U.K. Chart Race Billboard
- ^ Rouhani, Neena; Lee, Cydney (5 June 2023). "R&B/Hip-Hop Fresh Picks of the Week: Dave, Toosii, CHIKA & More". Billboard. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
- ^ a b Stickler, Jon (2 June 2023). "Dave And Central Cee Team Up For New Single Sprinter". Stereoboard. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ^ Brandle, Lars (7 August 2023). "Dave and Central Cee's 'Sprinter' Snags U.K. Chart Record". Billboard. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
- ^ "In 2023, "Sprinter" was the UK's biggest and best export". British GQ. 19 December 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
- ^ Brown, Anna (23 May 2024). "Winners of The Ivors with Amazon Music announced". The Ivors Academy. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
- ^ a b A., Aron (2 June 2023). "Central Cee & Dave's Highly Anticipated Single "Sprinter" Is Here". Rolling Stone UK. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ^ Keith, James (1 June 2023). "Dave & Central Cee Reveal Hotly-Anticipated Visuals For "Sprinter"". Complex. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ^ "Dave & Central Cee 'Sprinter' lyrics meaning revealed". Capital Xtra. 2 June 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ^ "Dave and Central Cee have too much of a good thing on "Sprinter"". The FADER. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
- ^ Breihan, Tom (2 June 2023). "Central Cee & Dave – "Sprinter"". Stereogum. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ^ Renshaw, David (2 June 2023). "Dave and Central Cee have too much of a good thing on "Sprinter"". The Fader. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ^ Murray, Robin (2 June 2023). "It's Here! Central Cee, Dave Spar On 'Sprinter'". Clash. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ^ A., Aron (2 June 2023). "Central Cee & Dave's Highly Anticipated Single "Sprinter" Is Here". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ^ Okon, Wongo (1 June 2023). "Dave And Central Cee's Opulent 'Sprinter' Video Weighs The Pros And Cons Of Their Playboy Lifestyles". Uproxx. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ^ a b "Record Breaker! Dave & Central Cee debut at Number 1 with Sprinter: Duo land biggest streaming week for any rap song in UK chart history". Official Charts Company. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- ^ "Dave and Central Cee: Sprinter scores a record-breaking number one". BBC News. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- ^ "Dave And Central Cee Sprint to U.K. Chart Title, Set Streaming Record". Billboard. 12 June 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- ^ Coste, Jonathan (7 December 2023). "Taylor Swift announced as the most streamed artist of 2023 by Spotify". Birmingham Eastside. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
- ^ "Dave & Central Cee Spend Second Week At #1 With 'Sprinter'". The Music. 19 June 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- ^ "Kerser, Dave & Central Cee Lead Australia's Charts". Billboard. 30 June 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- ^ "This Week's Official MENA Chart Top 20: from 15/09/2023 to 21/09/2023". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. 15 September 2023. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
- ^ "Stormzy & Fredo eye highest new entry on the Official Singles Chart, Dave & Central Cee sprinting for full month at Number 1". Official Charts Company. 25 June 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- ^ Glynn, Paul (8 September 2023). "Dave and Central Cee track Sprinter named UK song of summer 2023". Retrieved 22 February 2024.
- ^ Cummings-Grady, Mackenzie (14 August 2023). "J. Cole Turns Up To Nicki Minaj & Central Cee At T-Minus' Wedding". HipHopDX. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
- ^ "Dave, Central Cee and Victoria Monét Make It Onto Barack Obama's 2023 Playlist". Hypebeast. 29 December 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
- ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben; Vinter, Robyn (7 February 2024). "Mobo awards 2024: Central Cee tops winners thanks to megahit Sprinter". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
- ^ "The Global Awards 2024: Full list of nominees & how to vote". Capital XTRA. 4 March 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
- ^ "Dave & Central Cee – Sprinter". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
- ^ "ARIA Top 40 Hip Hop/R&B Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 12 June 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
- ^ "Dave & Central Cee – Sprinter" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
- ^ "Dave & Central Cee – Sprinter" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
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- ^ "Mūzikas Patēriņa Tops/ 30. nedēļa" (in English and Latvian). LAIPA. 31 July 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
- ^ "The Official Lebanese Top 20 – Dave". The Official Lebanese Top 20. 12 September 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ "2023 30-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 28 July 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
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- ^ "This Week's Official MENA Chart Top 20: from 16/06/2023 to 22/06/2023". theofficialmenachart.com. International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. 27 June 2023. Archived from the original on 28 June 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 28, 2023" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
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- 2023 singles
- 2023 songs
- Central Cee songs
- Dave (rapper) songs
- Irish Singles Chart number-one singles
- Music videos shot in France
- Music videos shot in London
- Number-one singles in Australia
- Number-one singles in New Zealand
- Number-one singles in Switzerland
- Songs written by Central Cee
- Songs written by Dave (rapper)
- UK Singles Chart number-one singles