It's not exactly uncommon for rappers to speak about their “movement” and how it's going to blow everybody else's out of the water. Fact is, few of these prophecies are actually fulfilled, and it's more likely that the said rapper/s has a momentary buzz before being relegated to the sea of MySpace wannabes whose career fizzles before it ever begins in earnest.

While only time will tell whether H.U.S.HH, a duo from Windsor Locks, Connecticut, will end up with this fate or achieve greatness, one can say they have a leg up on competition. Or, perhaps, it's the other way around: whereas the competition may have arms and legs, H.U.S.HH – which stands for “Help Us Save Hip-Hop” -- has a member, Diadem, who is limbless. With his partner-in-rhyme, Status (aka Stat), Dia is determined to overcome the odds and forge a career in Hip Hop.

“Hip Hop isn't dead but the conscious Hip Hop and the creativity in Hip Hop needs to come to the forefront in the commercial eyes, so the younger generation can see that there's more than the garbage that's out there now, the watered down material,” says Stat.

With several projects under their belt, a documentary in the making and heavyweights including Wyclef and Method Man lending support, H.U.S.HH seems ready to make some noise.

On The Support And Co-signs From Wyclef And Method Man: Stat says, "When we first met up with these people we didn't come out with our hands out. We went there, we gave them beats, we kicked it. I guess after a couple times they see us backstage, they're like, 'Yo, what up.' And every time they see us over and over, they're like, wow these dudes are on the grind. Meth and Wyclef were two of the biggest supporters. It's all about building relationships, and viewing them as a friend, rather than a fan."

On Their Start As A Group: "I've been rhyming since '97-'98 and back in 2000, Dia and I met through a mutual friend and we started this group. And then the group fell apart and the only two remaining in the group were Dia and myself, so we just kept going at it and started HUSHH back then," says Stat. Dia adds, "It was more than – when the whole group broke up – it was like we weren't doing music. It was me and Stat just chillin' together. We were just chillin' with each other for a good three months, and then we were sitting down one day, and wanted to record. We were like, let's do it, make a song. And then we did it and after a while we started making more songs. And then me and Stat came together and we decided to create HUSHH."

Influences: "A lot of my influences are, I like a lot of old Eminem, I like old Mobb Deep, old Jay-Z, just stuff that had content. Stuff that when you heard the song you got something out of it. Music right now it's crap. There's difference between rap and Hip Hop," says Dia.

On Their Beat Selection: "When I sit down and make a beat I just play stuff out, and whatever is hot is hot, and if it's hot enough, me and Stat will jump on it. But at the same time, we want to take Hip Hop to the point where we can say conscious things and get our point across and keep it true Hip Hop, but at the same time have those hardcore beats, have those beats and hooks that are on point, so they can be played on the radio as 100% true Hip Hop and not something that's watered down," Dia adds.

On Dia Being Limbless: "I'm about to get a tattoo down the side of my ribcage, it'll say 'blessed' right side up, and then upside down it'll say 'cursed.' It's pretty much a curse and blessing. I could take it as curse if I wanted to and think down upon it, but at the same time I could take the energy and flip it into positive, and be like, I need to get this and this get done and I don't care if anything gets in the way. Ever since I was growing up, my mom always told me, if I need to get something done, it's better for me to try and figure out how to do it myself rather than ask other people. My adopted mom would be like, 'how can I teach him how to eat,' and the doctor is like, 'Just let him figure it out.' It's all about taking something negative and turning it into a positive. I could mope around all day, but I choose not to. I choose to have fun with my life and do what I love doing."

On Stat Losing His Mother At A Young Age: "I was only a sixth grader, it was crazy, I was really, really depressed at that time, I was suicidal. It was crazy, I felt like I didn't have any friends, the only thing I felt I really had was music. At the time, I was deejaying and producing and then I got into writing, and when I was writing, I was writing really depressing, dark rhymes about the whole situation. And then I realized you can't really feel bad for yourself, you need to start focusing on positive things, start focusing on the things you want to happen in your life, and they'll come true. I had to do a complete 180." Continued on page 2 »