2023 single by Dave and Central Cee
"Sprinter " is a song by British rappersDave andCentral Cee . The single was released 1 June 2023 through record labels Neighbourhood and Live Yours, and was included on the artist's collaborative EPSplit Decision , released four days later. The song's instrumental has been characterized as a "guitar -led, subtledrill " beat withLatin influence.[ 2] [ 3]
Sprinter debuted at number one in theUK 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 onSpotify in the United Kingdom in 2023.[ 5] By April 2024 it was the most streamed UK rap song of all time.[ 6]
The work won the PRS for Music Most Performed WorkIvor Novello Award on Thursday 23 May 2024.[ 7]
The song was first teased by Cee on hisInstagram stories on 18 March 2023, revealing that Dave had just sent him an audio file.[ 8] They were also spotted in the studio together on 10 May.[ 9]
Sprinter marks only the second time the two have teamed up on a song, the last one being a remix of "Spirit Bomb" (2016) byAJ Tracey .[ 10] Additionally, Dave helped produce the song "End of the Beginning" on the23 mixtape in 2022.[ 11]
"Sprinter" sees the rappers trading "laid-back" verses over a "Latin -tinged, summer-ready"[ 3] beat characterised by "chopped-upacoustic guitars and wordlessoperatic vocals".[ 12]
David Renshaw ofThe 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.[ 13] Robin Murray ofClash opined that the song "sits somewhere betweendrill and broader UK rap flavours" and allows the rappers "to do their thing".[ 14]
The music video, released on 2 June, switches betweenLondon andSouth France . Scenes inMonaco were filmed in late May 2023.[ 15] The video features a cameo by Nigerian artist Slawn.[ 8] The rappers are seen showcasing the perks of their lifestyle, showing off diamonds and other valuables. There are also women being shown in the music video.[ 16]
Commercial performance [ edit ] "Sprinter" debuted at number one on theUK Singles Chart , marking the biggest opening week of the year.[ 17] 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.[ 17] [ 18] [ 19] By December 2023, Sprinter had received over 500 million streams on Spotify.[ 20]
The track peaked at number one in Australia after selling 13,000 units in its first tracking week.[ 21] [ 22] The track also peaked at number one in Ireland, Luxembourg, New Zealand and Switzerland. In theUnited Arab Emirates , the song peaked at number 11.[ 23]
In the United States, the song peaked in the top ten of theBillboard Global 200 and the U.S.Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.[ 24] In Canada, "Sprinter" debuted at number five on theCanadian Hot 100 on 17 June 2023, becoming the highest peakingBritish hip hop single of all time, surpassingM.I.A. 's 2008 song, "Paper Planes " which reached number seven.
On the 6th of November 2025, "Sprinter" reached 1 billion streams, becoming the firstUK Rap song to reach that milestone.[ 25]
Reception and legacy [ edit ] The song was declared "song of the summer" for 2023 byUK Charts .[ 26] In August 2023, a video of American rapperJ. Cole rapping along to Sprinter at record producerT-Minus ' wedding went viral on social media.[ 27] Former U.S. PresidentBarack Obama included the song on his annual playlist, which was released in December 2023.[ 28] At theMOBO Awards 2024 , "Sprinter" won the award for best song.[ 29] At the2024 Global Awards "Sprinter" was nominated for Best Song.[ 30]
2023 year-end chart performance for "Sprinter" Chart (2023) Position Australia (ARIA)[ 70] 15 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[ 71] 34 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[ 72] 92 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[ 73] 35 Denmark (Tracklisten)[ 74] 18 Germany (Official German Charts)[ 75] 73 Global 200 (Billboard )[ 76] 98 Hungary (Single Top 40)[ 77] 42 Iceland (Tónlistinn )[ 78] 20 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[ 79] 25 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[ 80] 11 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[ 81] 22 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[ 82] 12 UK Singles (OCC)[ 83] 2 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard )[ 84] 96
2024 year-end chart performance for "Sprinter" Chart (2024) Position Australia Hip Hop/R&B (ARIA)[ 85] 25 UK Singles (OCC)[ 86] 74
Certifications for "Sprinter" Region Certification Certified units /salesAustralia (ARIA )[ 87] 3× Platinum 210,000‡ Belgium (BRMA )[ 88] Platinum 40,000‡ Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil )[ 89] Platinum 40,000‡ Canada (Music Canada )[ 90] 4× Platinum 320,000‡ Denmark (IFPI Danmark )[ 91] Platinum 90,000‡ France (SNEP )[ 92] Platinum 200,000‡ Germany (BVMI )[ 93] Gold 300,000‡ Italy (FIMI )[ 94] Gold 50,000‡ New Zealand (RMNZ )[ 95] 4× Platinum 120,000‡ Poland (ZPAV )[ 96] Platinum 50,000‡ Portugal (AFP )[ 97] 2× Platinum 20,000‡ Spain (PROMUSICAE )[ 98] Gold 30,000‡ United Kingdom (BPI )[ 99] 3× Platinum 1,800,000‡ United States (RIAA )[ 100] Platinum 1,000,000‡ Streaming Greece (IFPI Greece )[ 101] 4× Platinum 8,000,000† ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.
^ 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 . Retrieved22 February 2024 . ^a b Stickler, Jon (2 June 2023)."Dave And Central Cee Team Up For New Single Sprinter" .Stereoboard . Retrieved3 June 2023 . ^ Brandle, Lars (7 August 2023)."Dave and Central Cee's 'Sprinter' Snags U.K. Chart Record" .Billboard . Retrieved12 September 2023 . ^ "In 2023, "Sprinter" was the UK's biggest and best export" .British GQ . 19 December 2023. Retrieved22 February 2024 .^ " 'Sprinter' by Dave and Central Cee is now the most streamed UK rap song of all time" .X . 27 April 2024. Retrieved9 January 2025 .^ Brown, Anna (23 May 2024)."Winners of The Ivors with Amazon Music announced" .The Ivors Academy . Retrieved28 May 2024 . ^a b A., Aron (2 June 2023)."Central Cee & Dave's Highly Anticipated Single "Sprinter" Is Here" .Rolling Stone UK . Retrieved3 June 2023 . ^ Keith, James (1 June 2023)."Dave & Central Cee Reveal Hotly-Anticipated Visuals For "Sprinter" " .Complex . Retrieved3 June 2023 . ^ "Dave & Central Cee 'Sprinter' lyrics meaning revealed" .Capital Xtra . 2 June 2023. Retrieved3 June 2023 .^ "Dave and Central Cee have too much of a good thing on "Sprinter" " .The FADER . Retrieved22 February 2024 .^ Breihan, Tom (2 June 2023)."Central Cee & Dave – "Sprinter" " .Stereogum . Retrieved3 June 2023 . ^ Renshaw, David (2 June 2023)."Dave and Central Cee have too much of a good thing on "Sprinter" " .The Fader . Retrieved3 June 2023 . ^ Murray, Robin (2 June 2023)."It's Here! Central Cee, Dave Spar On 'Sprinter' " .Clash . Retrieved3 June 2023 . ^ A., Aron (2 June 2023)."Central Cee & Dave's Highly Anticipated Single "Sprinter" Is Here" .HotNewHipHop . Retrieved3 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 . Retrieved3 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. Retrieved4 July 2023 .^ "Dave and Central Cee: Sprinter scores a record-breaking number one" .BBC News . 9 June 2023. Retrieved4 July 2023 .^ "Dave And Central Cee Sprint to U.K. Chart Title, Set Streaming Record" .Billboard . 12 June 2023. Retrieved4 July 2023 .^ Coste, Jonathan (7 December 2023)."Taylor Swift announced as the most streamed artist of 2023 by Spotify" .Birmingham Eastside . Retrieved22 February 2024 . ^ "Dave & Central Cee Spend Second Week At #1 With 'Sprinter' " .The Music . 19 June 2023. Retrieved4 July 2023 .^ "Kerser, Dave & Central Cee Lead Australia's Charts" .Billboard . 30 June 2023. Retrieved4 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 fromthe original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved28 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. Retrieved4 July 2023 .^ Quincy (5 November 2025)."Dave & Central Cee Make History as "Sprinter" Becomes First UK Rap Song to Hit 1 Billion Streams on Spotify" .RGM . Retrieved9 November 2025 . ^ Glynn, Paul (8 September 2023)."Dave and Central Cee track Sprinter named UK song of summer 2023" . Retrieved22 February 2024 . ^ Cummings-Grady, Mackenzie (14 August 2023)."J. Cole Turns Up To Nicki Minaj & Central Cee At T-Minus' Wedding" .HipHopDX . Retrieved22 February 2024 . ^ "Dave, Central Cee and Victoria Monét Make It Onto Barack Obama's 2023 Playlist" .Hypebeast . 29 December 2023. Retrieved22 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 . Retrieved22 February 2024 . ^ "The Global Awards 2024: Full list of nominees & how to vote" .Capital XTRA . 4 March 2024. Retrieved5 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. Retrieved9 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. ^ "Dave & Central Cee – Sprinter" (in French).Ultratop 50 . Retrieved 20 August 2023. ^ "Dave Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)" .Billboard . Retrieved 13 June 2023.^ "Dave Chart History (Croatia Songs)" .Billboard . Retrieved13 June 2023 .^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). 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