From street cleaner to rap star: the turbulent trajectory of Nicholas Diego Leanos
In short: Before becoming the SoundCloud-era sensation known as Lil Xan, Nicholas Diego Leanos lived in motels and worked as a street cleaner. His rise to fame was defined by the viral success of his track Betrayed, a million-dollar record deal, and a public struggle with the very substance that inspired his name.
Born in Redlands, California, in 1996, Leanos initially pursued photography to support his rapper friends. After his camera was stolen, he pivoted to rapping himself. His stage name, Lil Xan, is a direct reference to Xanax, the trade name for alprazolam. He gained significant traction on platforms like SoundCloud and YouTube, eventually signing a three-album deal with Columbia Records in November 2017 worth over $1 million. His debut studio album, Total Xanarchy, arrived in April 2018, debuting at number ten on the Billboard 200.
Leanos's career has been marked by significant creative instability. While he promised multiple follow-up projects—including albums titled Be Safe, When September Ends, and Sorry I Didn't Quit—these were repeatedly delayed or scrapped. It took until September 2024 for his second album, Diego, to finally reach listeners. His musical style, described by Pigeons & Planes as shifting from typical trap to a murkier, dream-like sound, has placed him within the so-called sad rap movement, drawing inspiration from artists like Mac Miller, Drake, and Pharrell Williams.
Beyond his music, Leanos has navigated a highly public personal life. He has been open about overcoming a two-year addiction to benzodiazepines and opiates, frequently using his platform to advocate against Xanax abuse. His personal history includes high-profile relationships, such as a brief period dating Noah Cyrus, and a controversial engagement to Annie Smith, which ended amid allegations that a pregnancy had been faked. Despite these challenges, including a 2018 hospitalization for consuming too many Hot Cheetos and severe anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic, Leanos continues to release music, recently signing with the independent label 3rd Eye Recordings.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Lil Xan
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