Lil Xan

Lil Xan, born Nicholas Diego Leanos in Redlands, California, is an American rapper of Mexican descent who emerged from the late-2010s SoundCloud and «emo rap» scene. Before music, he worked as a photographer, and he has described losing his camera as a turning point that pushed him toward making music instead. He signed with Columbia Records in 2017 after catching the attention of industry figures connected to acts like Rae Sremmurd and Mike WiLL Made-It.

His breakthrough single «Betrayed» and the mixtape/album «Total Xanarchy» established his signature sound: hazy, melancholic trap production paired with melodic, mumbled vocal delivery, drawing comparisons to peers in the emo-rap and «Xanax rap» subgenre that emerged around the same time. He built a dedicated fanbase and crew known as Xanarchy, with tracks like «Slingshot», «Far» and «Xanarchy» extending his reach within that scene.

Leanos has been notably outspoken about his own past addiction to Xanax, which the drug-referencing stage name ironically nods to, and has spoken publicly against Xanax abuse after overcoming his addiction. He expressed a wish to eventually perform under his middle name, Diego, as part of that shift in public messaging, reflecting a tension between his early persona and his later anti-drug stance.