Houston, Texas is known historically for almost setting the bar within rap and hip-hop music. So many legends have emerged from H-Town and cemented their place within their own halls of fame – a hall that is idolised within Texas. With such a high calibre of talent and in an age where everyone is craving their 15 minutes, who or what does it take to break through the ether and noise?

Enter Members Only Collective, and within that, Craig Xen. Aimed at switching up the Houston agenda, Craig Xen masterfully merges the worlds of British Punk with the flow of American rappers. Through experimentation and armed with his stanzas, Xen began using the internet as an outlet for his early work, having not yet found his creative tribe. Naturally, the powers that be began bringing people into Xen’s life that were going through similar experiences as Craig, or just loved the music he was creating. Fast forward a few years and you have the Members Only collective. Formed in 2014 in Floride, the ongoing collective consists of exactly what Craig was looking for – his creative family.

Growing up as a creative can be a particularly lonely path to walk. Idle feelings, being an outsider, or not being understood can wreak havoc in a period that’s already tough to endure. Finding your people is a case of trial and error, but when you’ve found them it’s like souls being brought to each other in an unspoken way. Craig Xen felt this almost instantly, and that’s when the music started coming in waves and throws. Working with the other members including the sadly deceased XXXTentacion, Killstation, Flyboy Tarantino and Ski Mask the Slump God; the collective began creating music that people were craving. Soon, flocks of people were being herded to them through the explosive, angry and powerful sounds they were hearing, and more importantly, relating to.

That’s not to say Craig Xen can fall into a trope of being an ‘angry person’ because his music has a certain power to it. When I actually call up Craig his voice exudes a stillness. A certain stoic tone that has a domino effect on those who hear it. The reason behind the calm waters Craig Xen possesses is simply that he releases all the negativity within his music; all the hurt and pain transcribed into rap motion. Using his talent and platform to understand himself, to use the dark and spin it into light, and to be kind to himself is the message Craig Xen is leaving behind, and teaching his fans to do so for themselves. With his debut commercial EP Broken Kids Club free in the world, it’s not what you would expect to hear. Read our conversation below before you dive into his vulnerable and diverse new album as we chat tenderness, connecting to the universe as one, Courage the Cowardly Dog, and if humans are actually the aliens.