DA
MAKING OF SARA STOKES
By Lenell
King
Back in 2003 music producer, P Diddy put
together a reality show where viewers were able to watch how he would put
together a band from start to finish. He
named the group, Da Band. Diddy had the band members getting up early
and going to bed late. However, the kicker was when he had the group walk from Manhattan
to Brooklyn to get a slice of Juniors Cheesecake
spearheaded the reality movement in the early 2000’s as a
member of MTV’s successful Making
Da Band series. She was known as the “sexy” singer of the group
and has been quite busy...
LENELL: So
Sara, what have you been up to?
SARA:
What have I not been up to? It’s been crazy over the last few years. Actually over the last 6 months I went back to
school and got my aesthetics degree for skin care and makeup. I’m working
on my album right now. I’m working with
James Worthy, K’jon and Timbaland has thrown me a few tracks. Not
only am I working hard, but I’m running marathons as well. The list keeps going on and on.
LENELL:
Wow you have been busy. Congratulations on getting your degree. That’s
awesome.
SARA:
You know I just feel I have a name, but you have to also know what you are
talking about. You have to have a plan A, B, C and all the way to the end of
the alphabet. That’s my motto.
LENELL: So
let’s take a trip back to 2003; how did you first get involved with the show?
Did you have to audition or did someone approach you to say you need to try out
for this MTV gig?
SARA: Wow. I have been recording since I was
12 years old; music has always been a part of my life. I was actually in Atlanta
at the time recording with Kenny Hickson when I got a call saying you need
to try out for this show called, Making
Da Band; it’s an audition process. You know, I wasn’t really familiar
with the whole reality show audition process. So I was like, what the heck is Making Da Band with Diddy? I
wasn’t even going to do it,
but they convinced me
to come back. I was one of the girls selected to perform and the rest is
history. I made it all the way through.
LENELL: Yes,
you did. Excellent! Have you ever wanted
to be in a group prior to Making Da Band;
maybe in high school or did you always want to be a solo artist?
SARA:
Actually in high school I was in a group with some of my friends and we were
kind of like on some SWV type stuff. We had our Jodeci boots; we had our
leather vests, baggie poetic justice pants and rocking braids with the
mushroom hats. I wasn’t playing. (Laughing) We had our little harmonies down.
I’m pretty versatile and Puff knew that as well. He knew that I can do well
by myself or with a group.
LENELL:
The album was released in 2004, and it was hot. One of the most memorable
songs on the album was Go Steady; it
really showed your vocal ability. After Making Da Band fizzled
out, were you approached with a solo project shortly after?
SARA: Definitely. I knew after that I had to
put my solo stuff out. There was no doubt about that. I was never going
to stop just because the band was dismantled. I was definitely going to keep
working. Working on my solo project or whatever came out. But that was just
something that was in me. I’m never
going to give up on music because that’s my first love.
LENELL:
Tell us about some of these film projects that you have been working on?
SARA: I’m currently filming a movie called Ceside in
D.C. It kind of reminds you of the movie Set
it Off. I got guns and I’m shooting police. Now
this is just a movie. I’m not
doing this for real. (Laughing). Everybody gets to see a
different side of me; I’m doing my own stunts.
LENELL:
Wow, real hardcore?
SARA:
Heck Yeah! I’m being sexy with it though, but yo don’t mess with me. I
got an AK. (laughing)
LENELL: Do
you keep up with any of the Da Band members? Dylan? Choppa? How about Puff? Is there a chance to return to Bad Boy if the
opportunity made sense?
SARA: Oh yeah, the band was like my second family.
We all went through the struggle together; we went through our fights. We all had to gel and make an album within a
month with cameras in our faces and we didn’t even know each other. We were just going on in
our daily lives and the next thing you know we are thrown
in this group. You had to make it
happen, make it work or have Diddy breathing down your neck like yawl better
come on and get it together. There were so many different personalities and
that’s where we started bumping heads. At the end of the day we realized this
is all where we came from; we are a family. We definitely talk. I just talked to Baps, Dylan – he's still his
crazy self. You know I love all of them. They all have just a special place in
my life. As a matter of fact, yawl might be seeing a reunion soon.
LENELL: Reunion?!
Now that would be amazing. I’m sure the
ratings would go through the roof. Just like with any family you’re gonna
have your fights. At the end of the day
you love each other and you have each other’s back
.
SARA:
I’ve seen Puff a couple of times. I really appreciate him for even choosing me
and you can’t pay for that type of exposure on MTV. It’s always been love with Diddy. Honestly, you
can’t be mad at the person that’s super genius, super smart and got his
business sense. He’s charming; he’s got everything plus drive. I’ve learned a
lot from him just by watching him. He works so diligently and it’s like he
never tires. He feels and believes in all that he does so effortlessly. That’s
pretty much my personality; that’s how I feel. I see myself working with
him again.
LENELL: It
seems that you have learned a lot from him.
You are a jack of all trades. You just finished your degree; you’re
running marathons, playing in movies, music-- congrats.
SARA: Thank you. I just think that it’s good to push
yourself to see what you’re limits are. Like why just stick to one thing if
you’re good at multiple things. Of course hone your
energy on one thing if you can make it happen, but once
you’re in there, it’s nothing wrong with venturing out and having
different things that you’re good at. It keeps you busy, keeps you out of
trouble and if anything, you would be proud of yourself when you look back at
all the accomplishments you’ve made.
LENELL: Then
that makes it all worth it. Now, the
last time you were on Making Da Band we
had a chance to meet your little ones. They’re all grown up now, right?
SARA: Elijah, he’s my first born who just finished
high school. I’m so proud of him. He graduated with honors. He looks like
Prince. (Laughing.) He plays the guitar too. I’m real proud of him; he’s going to Michigan
State University. My other two daughters are very talented, Gabriel and Eva
Diva, they sing, they dance. They’re acting, so once I go ahead and do my thing
of course the kids are going to be right there. I can’t really call them kids
now; they’re all in high school. From the Making Da Band show when everyone first
saw them they were like toddlers; now they are all taller than me.
LENELL: That’s
crazy; I tell you time really does fly. Now,
you see the success of reality shows; for some it revives their careers and in
some cases it turns the average Joe into a celebrity overnight. When you guys
did Making Da Band it was the only
reality show of that caliber with a hip hop format. If you were approached to do
another reality series like Love and Hip
Hop, would you do it and why?
SARA: Oh yeah, I don’t see why not. Whatever you put
out there is what the audience is going to see. Don’t think you’re going to go
out there acting a fool and then you don’t like how they are showing you because
all you‘re doing is fighting. They just want the drama and all the
arguments and crazy stuff you’re doing. They
never show the positive stuff like
running a marathon or helping a charity because the drama
is what sells. So I just tell anyone who is considering doing a reality
show that you have to be mindful of what you put out there if you want to look
back and be proud of your accomplishments and how you were portrayed on the
show. It’s hard to fight a certain stigma as a personality of somebody else
when you can just be the real you. Make sure you show it right because that’s
what the world will see.
LENELL: So tell us a little about running this
marathon? For some people it’s a way of
life and requires true discipline; is that a daily ritual for you?
SARA: Oh yeah, I love running. I just
feel if you look healthy, feel healthy, proud of your body and your mind is
together it puts you at a different point in your life. You can just face the
world a little better when you feel good about yourself. Health is so
important, it just
empowers you. When I’m running those marathons, I kind of
look at it like its life. When you’re going up those hills and you’re digging
deep because you know you got those last 13 miles, then the last 2 miles to go
and that finish line is right there. You want to stop so bad, you feel burn,
you feel yourself getting faint and maybe a little dizzy, but you got your eye
on the prize. You know when you get to
the end, you’re going to cross the finish line and get that medal as you
say, “I DID IT”!
That’s how I look at life. No matter what life throws at
you, you can overcome it. There is a final destination and a goal that
you have to get to. When you do, it’s going to be party time. You are
going to be proud of yourself. So, that’s how I look at marathons. It’s
about being fit and empowering women because we take so much. Marathons train your mind and your spirit to make
you endure to the point that you can create someone that overcomes. I love it.
LENELL: Well said, Sara. What does the immediate and long-term future
hold for you?
SARA: I
definitely see myself writing a book about my life because it’s definitely interesting.
If I’m not falling down the stairs or doing something crazy, it’s just
something always going on in my life. There are things I can talk about to possibly
help people who think that I have never been through anything. However, they
don’t really know my story, but once they read it and see that I overcame it,
conquered it and still held my head up high and moved on and didn’t have anyone
set limitations on me, they will be inspired. At the end it’s all you. You will be the one
that’s accountable for every action that you do. Hopefully, when I write
my story, someone will read it and say, “If
she can do it, then I can too.”
I want some Grammies in my future. I got to have an Oscar.
Ok, it’s like why not? Why set yourself
up for failure when you can say this is what I want. I ‘m going to work hard to
get it. You have to see yourself already getting it. That’s the key to it.
My manager, Lee Martin, has really been working hard for
me and making things happen. I will be doing the BET awards this year, red
carpet events and reality shows. There are all types of stuff I’m doing.
I’m even representing Voss Water; I’m the new face of that. There are a couple
of other things that I will definitely let everybody know about.
LENELL:
How can your fans reach you?
SARA: My
twitter is @sexysarastokes and my instagram is sara_stokes. Stay tuned about
the Making Da Band reunion and many
other things so definitely check me out.
It was a pleasure speaking with Sara and hearing about
all the projects she has going on in her life.
As you can see there is life after Making
Da Band. We will definitely follow up to see how her journey
continues and we wish her much success.
