Drake’s Infamous “Half A Xan” Line From “Sicko Mode” Traces Back To 2015

We’ve become so desensitized to our favorite rappers rapping about an exorbitant number of prescription pills that when Drake uttered that he took “half a Xan” on Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode,” it actually took most of us by surprise. Yet, it was still very Drake— only Drake can flex about such a small quantity of drugs. In a story that Complex writer Sama’an Ashrawi was saving for his future memoir, he explains his wild theory about where the lyric may have actually come from, noting that it can possibly be traced as far back as 2015.

Four years ago today, Drake posted one of the oddest pictures that he’s ever uploaded to the internet. The OVO head wore oversized sunglasses in an airplane selfie but what was truly interesting was the caption. “16 Hours…Flight attendants can tell I’m off the shits. They’s a whisperin in the corridors,” wrote Drake. “Guy next to me is pajammy’d down head to toe we haven’t even been on here for 4minutes,” he added later on.

At the time Drake shared this photo to his feed, Ashrawi, alongside comedian Hannibal Burress, was headed to a private dinner for Bun B in Houston, hosted by Drake. Ashrawi and Hannibal both dissected the strange photo and caption prior to the dinner, and they decided that if they were able to ask Drake one thing, it would be about said photo. When Ashrawi got his moment to ask about the Instagram post, Drizzy admitted that he had popped a little something to fight off some flight anxiety.

“Before he knew it, he was on the plane and felt compelled to take a selfie. The next thing he remembers is waking up after the plane had landed and his management team being furious with him for posting such an insane caption,” writes Ashrawi.

The writer realized that Drake could have slept through several flights after taking a pill to relax but, for the sake of his story, he’s hoping that he discovered the true origins of the famous lyric. Read the full story here.