While it’s been one-quarter of a century since Mint Condition debuted and we first heard Stokley’s smooth vocals over tracks such as “Breakin’ My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes),” “Forever In Your Eyes” and “You Send Me Swingin’,” the former lead singer and drummer of the Minneapolis quintet has been quietly orchestrating a rather believable transition as a solo artist. In keeping busy with notable performances with Kelly Price (“Not My Daddy”), for which he earned a Grammy nomination in 2011, Stokley expanded his artistic résumé by turning in vocal and percussion credits alongside Janet Jackson, Sounds of Blackness, Johnny Gill and Toni Braxton, among others.
In 2017, one year after the music industry lost a musical genius and his fellow Minnesota native Prince, Stokley joined The Revolution to pay tribute to his former mentor. He then politely reintroduced himself to the masses with his debut solo album, appropriately dubbed Introducing Stokley. If he was testing the waters, he got drenched because as tracks like “Organic” and “Level” scored over six million YouTube views, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis were drafting paperwork to sign the St. Paul product for a second term on their Perspective Records.
Since charting No. 1 in March 2020 with the undeniable “She,” Stokley has been putting the final touches on his recently released sophomore project, Sankofa. While prepping for promo tours and live performances across the country, Stokley took some time out of his busy schedule to discuss the new album, his days with Mint Condition and his need to dig deep on what he calls his most complete project yet.
So we have to talk about “Pretty Brown Eyes.” Is it difficult for you to get away from that? Have people accepted the new you, sans Mint Condition?
Well, that’s always first. And I think that whatever your claim to fame is, wherever, however people discovered you, that will never leave. [It’s like], he’ll have to sing that song until he’s gone. Prince had “Purple Rain.” Everybody has a swan song, signature song, that kind of thing. We all have [that] as an artist, so it’s not anything to run from. I embrace it. Because the fact that I’m here 30 some years later, still doing this, is a blessing.
What was it like resurfacing as a solo artist and churning out a No. 1 hit after all these years?
All I can do man is keep my head down and keep my feet rolling. You can do all the things that you’re supposed to do with PR and marketing, after making an actual song, [and then] put it out to the public. I consider it a success after it leaves my physical body. It’s out of me and whoever accepts it, whoever, whatever it means to somebody, however it elevates them or not, that’s what it is. And if not, then it’s probably not for them.
Prior to you coming out as a solo artist, were there any plans to get the group back together?
This was intentional for me to expand my wings. Not only me, but everybody else too. You got to remember, I’ve been on this journey what, 35-36 years? So it’s a long time. And I think it’s just because you’ve been doing something that’s been successful, as a human being, you want to experience many different things in life and everything that there is to be experienced. I know I have some other gears and some other aspirations that I’m able to explore. So it was definitely intentional.
As an artist, there’s typically some sort of journey that you go through while you’re making an album. Your first solo album was about you reintroducing yourself. What was the process with Sankofa? Can you tell us more about the album title?
So Sankofa is a Ghanian term that literally means to “go back and get it.” So for me, it’s a journey, my journey. And starting from some of the rhythms that I’ve learned, a lot of that sensibility is there at the top of the album. You hear that and it goes through. It just doesn’t stick there. … I’m going through stuff that sounds like things you heard from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. And beyond [that] it’s both analog and digital. [It’s] the classic instruments of that steel pan in there. I’ve got all kinds of instrumentation, as well as the digital realm. So when you look at the Sankofa bird, it’s looking back, but it’s walking forward. So you’re looking back while traveling forward, which means remember the past.
My sensibility is right there. That’s right where I am right now. … So that’s my experience. But I think you can apply that to everybody because it’s a really basic concept. It’s not just for me. It’s for you all, and it’s a reflection of my culture. It’s you, me, it’s your grandmama, your auntie, uncle, cousin, brother, sister. … So I think I just wanted to embrace something that most people can really get with.
Photos courtesy of Blueraffe Entertainment
