The biggest highlight of the BET Awards this year was the fact that Bad Boy Records had the reunion to end all reunions on the June 28 BET Awards show. Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs was joined by Bad Boy members Maze, Lil Kim, Faith Evans, 112, French Montana and a mural of the Notorious B.I.G.; however a few members of the Bad Boy Records crew felt slighted after being privileged to be around during such a pivotal era, but not invited to the reunion, made some feel as though they weren’t part of the Diddy empire.
Diddy-Dirty Money (was at one point) Diddy’s sidekicks when he was on his musical artist run in his career. “Making the Band” was a very popular TV show where Diddy showed the world how he created musical superstars. Rolling out was able to catch up with Sara Stokes, and although she expressed her admiration and appreciation for Diddy and the opportunities he gave her, she also expressed some dismay. She’s coming back with a new TV show, a new attitude and new music. Check out how our conversation went.
How do you feel about not being included in the Bad Boy reunion?
I love Diddy. I don’t care what anyone says.That man right there is a genius. He set the platform for me to even do anything in my life with music. He didn’t have to choose me for the show in the first place. Let alone, make a record that went platinum. I appreciate it. He let me in on all of his business secrets. He basically made me a better person when it came to business and being on my craft. I appreciate that.
Would you have taken advantage of the offer to perform on the stage? We know it’s been awhile. Perhaps the fact you haven’t performed in a while was taken into consideration.
Of course, I would have wanted to be on that stage. I was looking around like where the hell am I? If you’re talking about the groups that made history, we definitely made history. Everyone always talks about the band. I hear every day, “Where’s the band?”
Did you get flooded with phone calls during the show?
I talked to Fred last night. I was like, ‘Wassup man?” He was like, “Man, are you tired of hearing that you were supposed to be on that show?” Everybody keeps tweeting and texting me. That would have been crazy. Next thing you know, you hear that music from “Tonight” coming in and then, I come in …they would have went crazy.
Have you reached out to Diddy or are you going to?
No, I believe that people around him have already put in his ear “Where’s the band at?” They have to. You can not say “Bad Boy” without saying “where’s the Band at?”
Well, maybe it would have been different if you would have actually reached out to Diddy. He’s probably thinking, “Sarah didn’t even watch it, she doesn’t even care.”
I would reach out to Diddy. I feel like the whole band would want to do it. I talk to everyone still to this day. Whenever the Band decides to reunite, it’s going to happen because everyone wants it to happen. Even the Band members, we all want it to happen. We love each other, we’re a family. We can’t forget that part of our lives. That was three years of our lives.
What city do you live in?
Detroit — Port Huron, Michigan.
[She beings to reminisce] Everybody knows that walk to the Cheesecake. It was a lesson. I understood that from Diddy. I’ve been working hard my whole life. Ain’t nothing ever been handed to me. I’ve been working hard. Even when I was in school when I was a kid, I had to work harder than the rest of the kids to get that A. I would get an A plus, though. I would do my extra credit. That’s how crazy I was and still am about being the best. I always push myself and I know Diddy saw that.
He was like, “Man that chick is crazy with it. I can’t break her. Whatever I throw at her, she’s doing it and then some.” He would always choose me first just to go out there and freestyle, sing to a beat I never heard. And I’d be like all right, cameras on me, everybody’s looking, Diddy in ya face…so it’s like you always had to be on point and I thank God.
You were fearless and he liked that quality in you.
If that’s what you say you do for a living, every opportunity you get you should be doing it. If that’s what you’re trying to do for a living … before Diddy, I was doing that. I would sing at my job. I would sing people happy birthday and they would give me extra tips just to sing. Everywhere I went, I sung. I just knew that’s what I as going to do for a living.
I feel real about mine. That’s how I am. I’m real about mine. That’s why I don’t really care about what is out there. Even the negative is a positive because it made me who I am today. It made me stronger. If anything, I’m really ready for some war. I’ve been through so much that I’m ready to show the world and I’m ready to get hat I feel is owed to me.
Talk about the new show you are a cast member of that’s coming to Centric. I hear it focuses a bit on the short time you spent behind bars.
That’s correct, I have a new show “From the Bottom Up” with Nicki Gilbert. We got picked up by Centric, the sister company to BET. It’s going down. God is blessing me. They were filming me when I came out of the joint. It was my real story. Soon as I got out, it was like lights, camera, action! It’s going to be an awesome ride. Just keep watching and checking for me.
Sara Stokes has a new single titled “Sneak Peak” produced by James Worthy featuring BABS from “Making the Band.” In the meantime, we are definitely going to watch how Stokes returns to the scene by following her on social media #twitter @SexySaraStokes and IG Sara_Stokes.
