First day out tracks are a common occurrence following an escape from the clutches of the American judicial system, and Xanman and YungManny’s “First Day Out” rivals the best of them.
At the forefront of the lively and crowded DMV scene stands two of the most prominent figures in the underground, Xanman and YungManny. The two have been collaborating and releasing music out of Prince George’s County, Maryland at a breakneck pace since 2017. This prolific output hit a speed bump in late 2018 after Xanman was arrested for undisclosed reasons. Now, after spending six months in jail, Xanman is free and resuming his frantic release schedule.
Less than a week after being released from jail, Xanman provided a terse statement regarding his arrest on his song “Pink” as he rapped, “Hold up Xan what did you go to jail for? / Niggas snitching that I took the L for.” The details are unclear, but Xanman is clearly more focused on the future than he is on the past. Just a day after putting out the music video for “Pink,” Xanman went right back to work reuniting with his partner in crime YungManny to commemorate his freedom with the release of, “First Day Out.“
Over a minimalist instrumental produced by Khroam, featuring staccato piano keys over a blown out bouncing 808, Xanman shows that his penchant for punchlines hasn’t rusted a bit over the past sixth months. His DMV flow rides the line between offbeat and on as he rifles through one-liners like, “Xan you a pain in the ass, hemorrhoids” or “Get hit with the stick Happy Gilmore.”
With his intense delivery, it always feels as though Xanman is rapping with impatience, with an urgency to make sure he keeps feeding the listener quotable after quotable. It’s a style that not only demands the listener’s attention but takes it by force. YungManny’s aggressive vocal stylings only draw the listener in further and stand out bars like “Six deep, Uber XL / 556 in his hair like gel,” and “I put a hole in his face like a pore / Strap on my shoulder like Curious George,” go toe to toe with Xanman’s best witticisms. YungManny’s kindred flows pair perfectly with Xanman’s, and his lyrics and cadence further prove why this is consistently one of the best pairings in the underground.
Now that he’s free, it’s no question that Xanman’s catalog will continue to grow at a rapid rate. His ascent to the height of the DMV scene has been propelled by his work ethic, but it’s the quality of his music that is helping him transcend that peak. Xanman has recently been gaining attention from major artists and is currently teasing a collaborative track with Lil’ Yachty titled, “Yellow.” Look for that to drop soon, and in the meantime, watch the video (directed by Wax Bando) for, “First Day Out” below.