''Total Xanarchy'' is the debut studio album by American rapper

Lil Xan Nicholas Diego Leanos (born September 6, 1996), better known as Lil Xan ( ) or simply Diego, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter from Redlands, California. He is best known for his song " Betrayed", which was certified platinum by the ...

. It was released on April 6, 2018, by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

. The album features

guest appearance In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other ...

s from

Charli XCX Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is an English singer and songwriter. Born in Cambridge and raised in Start Hill, Essex, she began posting songs on Myspace in 2008, which led to her discovery b ...

, YG,

Rae Sremmurd Rae Sremmurd ( ; "Drummers Ear" spelled backwards) is an American hip hop duo originating from Tupelo, Mississippi, formed by two brothers, Slim Jxmmi and Swae Lee. In 2013, they signed a record deal with Mike Will Made It's EarDrummers impr ...

2 Chainz Tauheed K. Epps (born September 12, 1977), known professionally as 2 Chainz (or Tity Boi), is an American rapper. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he initially gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip hop duo Playaz Circle, ...

Diplo Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is the co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer, a member of the supergroup LSD wit ...

Yo Gotti Mario Sentell Giden Mims (born May 19, 1981), known professionally as Yo Gotti, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record executive. In 1996, Gotti released his debut album ''Youngsta's On a Come Up'' under the alias Lil Yo. He went on to re ...

Rich the Kid Dimitri Leslie Roger (born July 13, 1992), professionally known as Rich the Kid, is an American rapper. He released his debut studio album, '' The World Is Yours'', on March 30, 2018. His second studio album, ''The World Is Yours 2'', was releas ...

, and Steven Cannon. It was supported by five singles: "Slingshot", "

Betrayed Betrayed or The Betrayed may refer to: * Betrayal, a violation of trust Film and television * ''Betrayed'' (1917 film), an American silent film by Raoul Walsh * ''Betrayed'' (1954 film), an American war drama directed by Gottfried Reinhardt * ...

", "Far", "Wake Up" and "Color Blind". ''Total Xanarchy'' was panned by both music critics and listeners, with most criticizing the lyrical content and Leanos' overall performance.

Background

The album was originally titled ''No Love'' after Xan's single of the same name, but was changed after his management decided not to include the song on the album. It was originally scheduled for a March 17, 2018 release, however the album was delayed. On March 2, 2018, during an interview with

Ebro Darden Ibrahim Jamil "Ebro" Darden (born March 17, 1975) is an American radio personality, broadcaster, and DJ. Until 2014, he was Vice President of Programming for Emmis Communications' New York contemporary urban station WQHT (Hot 97). He is current ...

during the

Ebro in the Morning Ebro in the Morning is an American radio show based in New York City hosted by Ebro Darden, Peter Rosenberg, and Laura Stylez. It currently airs from 6 to 10am. Common topics of discussion on the show include national news, politics, and celebrity ...

show, Xan explained the direction of the album's sound and style, by stating, On March 15, 2018, the album's artwork and release date was revealed through the rapper's Instagram story.

Singles

The album's

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release ...

, "Slingshot" was released on April 2, 2017. The JP-directed music video was originally released on June 21, 2017, however it was re-uploaded on November 22, 2017. The album's second single, "

" was released for streaming and digital download on July 20, 2017. The Cole Bennett-directed music video was released on August 28, 2017. The music video has reached over 285 million views on YouTube. The album's third single, "Far" was released on November 3, 2017. Its music video was released on October 31, 2017. The album's fourth single, "Wake Up" was released on December 27, 2017. The Cole Bennett-directed music video was released on December 30, 2017. The album's fifth single, a collaboration with producer

, titled "Color Blind" was released on March 22, 2018. A music video for the song was released on April 10, 2018.

Promotional singles

The album's lead

promotional single A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...

, "Betrayed (Remix)" with

and

was released on March 15, 2018. The album's second promotional single, "The Man" featuring Steven Cannon was released on March 30, 2018, along with the Steve King-directed music video.

Promotion

Tour

On December 18, 2017, Lil Xan announced an official headlining concert tour to further promote the album titled ''Total Xanarchy Tour''. The tour began on January 25, 2018, in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...

, at Venue Nightclub.

Critical reception

''Total Xanarchy'' was panned by

music critic ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of mu ...

s, with most criticizing the lyrical content and Leanos' overall performance. Ben Beaumont-Thomas from ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'' gave credit to the tracks containing strong hooks and "fine, gothic production", but criticized Xan for mimicking the technical abilities of

XXXTentacion Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy (January 23, 1998 – June 18, 2018), known professionally as XXXTentacion, was an American rapper and singer-songwriter. Though a controversial figure due to his widely publicized legal troubles, XXXTentacion ga ...

("Diamonds") and

Post Malone Austin Richard Post (born July 4, 1995), known professionally as Post Malone, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Known for his variegated vocals, Malone has gained acclaim for blending genres and subgenres of hi ...

("Far") and lacking in lyricism, saying "I can confidently report that there are no good lyrics on this album." ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

'' writer Meaghan Garvey said about Lil Xan overall, "On his debut album, the standard-bearer of the sad-rap movement refuses to reveal much in the way of emotion at all, aside from a kind of sullen, conflicted defiance."

Track listing

Credits adapted from

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...

. Notes * signifies a co-producer * signifies an uncredited co-producer * "Color Blind" features background vocals from Thomas Azie * The CD version of the album does not include the songs "Shine Hard" and "Betrayed (Remix)".

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal. Technical * DJ Fu – recording , mixing * Steve Hybicki – mixing * Mauricio "Veto" Iragorri – mastering * Steven "B" Baughman – mastering * Kinfolk John – mixing , recording * Nolan Presley – recording * Finis "KY" White – mixing * Ben the Great – mixing * Boaz De Jong – mixing * Mike Bell – mastering

Charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 2018 debut albums Lil Xan albums Columbia Records albums Albums produced by Diplo Albums produced by Ronny J Albums produced by Symbolyc One West Coast hip hop albums