Eye Candy
Sheryl K.

For almost a decade now, we’ve coated these pages with candies of almost every shape and cup size. Although we’re the Baskin-Robbins of publishing, it’s recently come to our attention that there’s a certain flavor we haven’t poured for your plez-jour (that’s pleasure, simpleton). Enter XXL’s very first Indian Eye Candy, 21-year-old Sheryl K. Born in Saudia Arabia to South Indian parents and raised in Suffolk, Long Island, since age three, this Middle Eastern sunrise has enhanced videos such as Juelz Santana’s “The Whistle Song,” the Notorious B.I.G.’s posthumous single “Nasty Girl (Remix)” and Jamie Foxx’s “Unpredictable.” Now that her feet are wet, she’s ready to soak the rest of her 34C-22-36 body in vanity waters. “I haven’t found my niche, but I have potential to do anything in modeling,” she says. “A lot of people have told me I’m a lottery ticket that I just have to cash in.”

While you can catch Sheryl on Stony Brook University’s campus wrapping up her senior year as a bio premed student, you just might enjoy watching her floss her off-shoulder green dress and irresistible smile in Nas’ current video, “Can’t Forget About You,” a tad more. Interestingly, this visual princess’ latest appearance is a career highlight. “I was pretty disenfranchised with rap, so getting to work with such a classic artist like Nas was the best,” she beams. “I’ve never been starstruck before, but I went stupid on him. [Laughs] I had the camera and Sharpie for him to sign my Stillmatic [album].”

Don’t let Sheryl fool you. She may be a backpacker at heart, but her ethnicity kept her from being a heartbreaker as a teen. Raised by strict old-school Indian parents––who wouldn’t allow her to wear shorts above the knee until high school––Sheryl was a sheltered child. Though she’s of U.S. legal age, her adult life is still monitored quite closely. Imagine an American lifestyle pleasantry like dating being viewed by your parents as taboo because courtship has no purpose in their world. “In Indian culture, it’s pretty customary to have an arranged marriage, so it makes having relationships very difficult,” she tells, before revealing her unwavering Leo side. “But I have my own morals and values, and I’m not gonna let anybody infringe on me with their customs.”

There’s a famous adage that goes, “One dime’s rebellion is another man’s gift.” That’s a lie. That adage was just made up two seconds ago. But it’s still true in Sheryl’s case. She’s gorgeous from head to toe, with sweet curves and edible skin, has been damn near caged her entire life (think preacher’s daughter!), and, on top of it all, has got a jones (pun intended) for hip-hop lyricists. This kitten is almost unreal, and she knows it. Just ask her how much maintenance she gives her blessing of a body, and an immediate “nada” will follow. “I think it’s pretty cool that I have such a flat stomach and I don’t ever work out,” she says, before addressing the haters currently headed her way. “Hey, it’s the genes. Hate my parents.”

------- See more pictures of Sheryl K. in XXL’s April 2007 issue (#90)