'My background influences me greatly because it shows me the similarity of human beings no matter where they're from or what color they are.'  Those are the words of Hydro.  Words that have translated into lyrics on his new album, 'Crucial,' which dropped earlier this week.

Born into a Pakistani family in Glasgow, Hydro moved to the Bronx in New York City in his teenage years.
'There was nowhere in Glasgow where I could pursue my career and have an outlet to do hiphop.  So I went to the birthplace of hiphop,' said Hydro, in an exclusive interview with Desi Hits!.

Soon after, the Glaswegian Pakistani, formerly known as Adnan, was nicknamed Hydro by his neighborhood friends in the Bronx.  Hydro's surging passion for rap landed him an intense internship at Def Jam Records, where he worked for the largest names in the hiphop industry.

'I gained a lot of contacts working for these guys.  I worked with Jay Z's label, Ja Rule's label, I worked for Def Jam and the connections became friendships.  And from there on it was like a friend calling a friend for something.  As my music advanced I could just call them and collaborate on something.'

The collaborations are the essence of Hydro's new album, 'Crucial,' which was released on Monday.  Hydro has also made music with Nas and Busta Rhymes.

Quick Q & A:

How does it feel to be working with the pioneers of rap?

'The feeling to collaborate with people like Nas and Busta to me is incredible because I looked up to these guys.  I was just a young boy at the time when these guys had classic hiphop albums and to be writing songs with them and recording songs with them...is an absolute pleasure for me.  It's like a dream come true.'

What else can we expect from this album?

'It's not a bling album, it's not a gangster rap album.  The album is me.  You get the real Hydro on it.  It's crucial.'

A little bit of everything is what we'd say!  Hydro draws from his South Asian roots, throwing in a bit of Bhangra here and there.