Unique is what you get when you jam out to X-men. This band is not your typical rap group with their twist of rap, gospel and R&B-like genres in combination to make a sound unlike any you would have heard before. X-men have released a CD titled “The Newbreed Generation” that features four artists, two of which are students at Washburn.

“X-men was our first real coming out project as a cohesive unit, that is Soultaker, so it was a big thing putting it on iTunes and such,” said Rolondo ‘Lyric’ Reddick. “We all worked hard and overcame a lot to do it.”

The group came up with the name X-men not only because of the logo that depicts it, but also in order to relate to their overall feeling of being a whole new breed of artist featuring ‘mainstream sounds with underground content.’ Listening to “The Newbreed Generation” certainly fits this description. One can almost think of how it would sound to combine Kanye West, Usher and Kid Cudi. You may get close to describing how Xmen sounds, but the real sound can only be described by taking a listen.

“If I continue to grow, my music will continue to grow; the more I learn about my craft and the more I hone it the better I’ll be able to convey the knowledge that I’m receiving,” said Phillip ‘Brail’ Watson.”I’m just going to grow and as I grow so will my fan base.”

Watson is also working on a personal project titled “Booty Sweat the World” which has over 20,000 views on YouTube.

“I hope that listeners will hear the love of Christ in my music,” said Watson. “I hope that they will be able to enjoy intelligent and well crafted compositions, learn a little bit, and have something to vibe on for every emotion; I want them to know me.”

Ultimately, the men of X-men feel they know what is important in their continuation of musical talent.

“I feel as if I’m my own biggest critic so if I don’t think highly of myself, who will?” said Reddick, “Leaders lead and, of course, the listeners will come later.”

Other members of X-men include Mike ‘Collossus’ Gully and RIP ‘Professor X’, Titonian Wallace.

In the end, X-men doesn’t kid around about being ‘a whole new breed’ of sound. The only way to really take them in is to listen to their album “The Newbreed Generation” and discover it for yourself.