Central Cee opened up about how he deals with survivor’s guilt while posing for British GQ’s Men of the Year magazine on Thursday.
The rapper, 26, lost his good friend Fernando Johnson, 23, when he was killed in an ambush by two men in Acton last year.
In his memory, Cee tattooed his name on his skin, made a diamond pendant with his image and immortalized Fernando’s name on his album Can’t Rush Greatness.
When asked if he had found a way to make peace with what happened, the rapper said GQ: “No, I don’t really think about that, no,” before adding: “It’s not the best way to approach it.”
He added: “I think one way to deal with it is actually very forward.” And I do everything I can to help the people around me, to prevent that feeling from happening again.
‘So we’re all surviving, right?’
Central Cee has revealed how he deals with survivor’s guilt after his friend Fernando Johnson was killed in an ambush when he was 23 (pictured LR Central Cee and Fernando Johnson)
The rapper, 26, spoke openly while posing for British magazine GQ Men of the Year on Thursday.
On 26 January 2023, Fernando was hit as he exited his BMW X Series on Rosebank Way, Acton, at 2.15am.
Fernando, known by his stage name, Fdot, was described by his family as “such a lovely man” who “was going to be a big name”.
An autopsy determined that he died from a gunshot wound.
Shortly after his murder, his family said in a statement: “He was much loved by family and friends and well known in the community, he always had a smile on his face and greeted everyone with a big smile and a hug.”
‘He was a loving family man. He wanted the world to hear his story through his music. He was passionate about achieving his ambitions.
‘He was a talented footballer and played for QPR when he was young. He was very polite and brilliant with people of all ages.
‘This is a great loss for the family and the community, we will ensure his memory lives on. His mother, father, grandmother and two older brothers are devastated like all of us.
“He was the apple of her eye.”
Cee lost his good friend Fernando Johnson, 23, when he was killed in an ambush by two men in Acton last year (pictured by Central Cee).
When asked if he had found a way to make peace with what happened, the rapper told GQ: “No, I don’t really think about it, no,” before adding: “It’s not the best way to deal with it.” .
Cee, whose real name is Oakley Caesar-Su, has amassed seven top ten songs and is one of British rap’s most sought-after artists.
He has become a phenomenon with eight top 40 singles, a number one on Sprinter – his song with rapper Dave that stayed at the top for 10 weeks, and a series of other songs that have reached the Top 40.
One of his biggest hits last year was his single BAND4BAND with American rapper Lil Baby, which peaked at number four.
He also holds the title of being the first British rapper to amass over 2 billion streams on Spotify.
Talking about his sudden rise to fame, he said the guardn: ‘I wonder, “Why am I not overwhelmed like everyone else seems to be?” I think it’s because I think I deserve it.’
However, he contradicted his statement by adding: “That’s just one side of my mind.” Because at the same time, I have a lot of survivor’s guilt because I feel like I don’t deserve anything I have.
‘I don’t know how I do it. I think it’s a survival instinct: what am I going to do, start going crazy and lose all this? I just treat it like work.’