For those not in the tri-state area, The Bronx is a tough place to grow up. Have to be in order to just survive the drama associated with New York. But for 24-year-old Ksyn Cason, the code of survival was one learned from the school of hard knocks and her grandfather. Truly, hard work has been the key to this beauties success.

The Bronx bombshell has utilized those sexy curves to explode on the national scene with appearances in XXL, Smooth and Elle Girl magazines. You can find her being a G-Unit distraction in their new video, “Rider Pt. 2” off the Terminate On Sight album. No stranger to the spotlight, Ms. Cason bumrushes the show with Beauty & Brains, as she talks about what The Bronx taught her, why Obama and Clinton would make a great team and why you’d see her at a Dallas BBQ’s before you’d see her at Mr. Chow’s, any day!

Beauty & Brains: The Bronx, huh...? Tough place to grow up... With a body like yours - how did you keep all the riff-raff from burning the city down just to get a kiss from Ksyn?
Ksyn Cason: [Laughs]. Growing up in The Bronx was cool. I mean I got into trouble and trouble always found me, but either way, I learned a lot. Since I actually started developing later than everybody else, the issue didn't really come until my junior-senior year in high school. I started modeling, I’d say… my freshman year, but was still a bit of a tomboy. But once I did start to develop and become more feminine, I sort of knew what to expect. Guys looked at me as more of a homeboy than that hot chick so they were very protective over me. [Laughs] I had some dudes, not naming any names [laughs], but they would always get into beef with my shorty. Whoever it was at the time, they’d attempt to scare them away. [Laughs] It was a very funny time, but it was also fun.

B&B: What would you say growing up there has taught you that you couldn't have learned anywhere else?
KC: It taught me street smarts. It taught me how to weed out phony people and figure out how I can benefit from them. I used to hang out with a lot of dudes so I learned a lot from them as well - especially when it comes to protecting yourself and keeping your guards up at all times. I also learned just how to communicate with people, you know? I have always been the person to make friends very easily and that was due to the fact that in The Bronx you deal with a lot of personalities and cultures as almost everywhere in the U.S. So I knew how to adjust to my environment really quickly rather than staying to myself the whole time and not trying to get to know people. Besides that, I sort of had the best of both worlds. I went to Catholic school from 1st-8th grade, then a specialized public school that focused on teaching business and law. So, being able to know my rights and different laws along with the street smarts helped me, I guess…

B&B: As a kid, you got a chance to do some pretty cool things - like dancing back-up for Alicia Keys, stepping for Bill Clinton and performing alongside Usher, right?
KC: Yeah, man… all thanks to Teens In Motion. It was so much fun and it kept me out of unnecessary trouble. I was in the group from the age of 13 till about 18. I mean it felt good to be able to go to school on Monday and when asked the question, ‘How was your weekend?’ I would always have something different to say. It was very rare not to have rehearsals or a show/competition during the weekend. So, to come in and say I rehearsed for a show that I was doing with an artist or even say that I was rehearsing for a play felt good to me. I think the best and the roughest time was when I had rehearsals for an off-Broadway play during graduation rehearsals. Everyone just looked at me and was like, "Damn, she is always on the go, even through her own damn graduation." [Laughs].

B&B: After all that - what do you think about this year's pivotal presidential elections? Sad to see the Clintons go?
KC: It is, but I do believe that Hillary [Clinton] and [Barack] Obama would make a powerful team together as president and vice president. It would mean a different U.S.A. for everybody. Having both of them in office working together would mean a government that would be about and for the people, as the government should be, and that would be great. It seems like sometimes certain people in office put their personal vendettas in the forefront and forget about what really needs to be going on while they are in office. We, as the people, vote who we feel can make a difference, not in other countries, but in our own and when that is not done it makes you wonder if your words or actions really mean anything. I feel that if either one of the Democratic candidates won the delegates vote, our words and actions as the citizens of this city/state would not go unheard.

B&B: You're in the new 50 Cent/G-Unit video, too... Did you get on 50 Cent bully for being a Bush fan?
KC: Yeah, man… I'm in the new “Rider Pt. 2” video [click to view]. [Laughs] No, we didn't talk about politics on set. It was about the music and the video. Maybe next time I’ll get a chance…. I like talking about politics with people; it helps you see all sides of an issue, you know? I just love intellectual conversations. They not only cause political debates, but they feed the mind. Sometimes we, as New Yorkers and as humans, forget that we have our own opinions or just get lost in the sauce but when people can sit down and talk about events happening in our country that affect us as human beings and not break out into a fight or take anything personally; just respect what each other is saying I feel that it shows living and growth. You never know if we were to talk about it, it may lead to a learning experience and, of course, an intellectual debate and that is cool beans to me. Continued on page 2 »