When it comes to the arts, being different from your peers will help you stand out. So will putting in the work. Back when he was a young child, Xanman, then known by his family nickname of Moody, grew up listening to 50 Cent and Eminem like everyone else, but he was more crafty than other children. Using the I Am T-Pain mic, he used to record his pre-teen raps, using a complicated system including a TV and an iPod Nano. At the age of 11, his grandmother bought him a real microphone and he took off running, dropping his first mixtape a few years later (2013's Finesse Lord). Known around his middle school for both rapping and bad behavior, Xanman got serious about releasing music in those formative years. He dropped nearly 50 projects between 2013 and now, including one while he was locked up in November 2018 (Like Tony Pt. 5). Xanman came home in 2019 much more popular than he went in, with the video for his 2018 song "Point" breaking 2 million views.

As a 19-year-old buzzing rapper, Xanman's early 2019 mixtape WYA Halmes? is what really got him noticed, considering it features his biggest track yet, the airy "Gucci Down." The remix features his cousin YungManny and his good friend and fellow DMV native Rico Nasty, which only served to extend the life of the song. Now with his latest mixtape Broken out as of this Monday, Xanman is finally getting to revel in all of the work he put in during the tougher times.

The DMV has produced plenty of talent over the years; Xanman is carrying on tradition. Catch up with him in this week's edition of The Break.

Age: 19

Hometown: Landover, Md.

I grew up listening to: "50 Cent—me and my grandfather. A lot of stuff I can relate to because you relate to the struggle, the stuff that [50 Cent] was saying. Lil Wayne, his flow, his punchlines—that's where I get a lot of my inspiration. Eminem, his flow is just crazy. That's what made me start rapping fast."

My style’s been compared to: "I don't wanna talk about it."

My standout records to date: "'Gucci Down,' 'Point,' 'Midnight,' 'Hell Yeah,' 'Slide Music,' 'Foulin The Plug,' and 'Pink.'"

My most slept-on song: "It's a lot."

My standout moments to date: "I'm not sure—this? Songs with NoCap. Just being able to talk to other people who I used to listen to in 2016 and 2017, that I can just call on my phone now. Like Gunna, Trippie Redd, people like that."

Most people don’t know: "There's not much, I never really had nothing to hide."

I’m going to blow up because: "A lot of people can't do what I do. As far as my versatility, I can go from rapping on a simple piano/808 beat to a Nas instrumental. I barely write. And I can also do the singing thing. You gotta put your own work ethic into your craft."

I’m going to be the next: Lil Wayne.

Follow Xanman on SoundCloud and Instagram.

Standouts:

"Point"

"Midnight"

"Pink"

"Gucci Down Remix" featuring Rico Nasty and YungManny

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