UB ReVisit: Coko Talks SWV, R&B and Men In Black Video

We’re continuing to celebrate our favorite interviews in the last 15 years. In celebration of our 15 Year Anniversary, more on that Wednesday May 20th.

Today we ReVisit with one of our absolute favorites Coko!
UB will be speaking with Coko this week on IG Live, who is preparing to celebrate her 50th birthday. Stay Tuned!

SWV emerged from the projects and conquered the world of music. Founded in the early 90s, they incorporated New Jack Swing & Hip Hop into their style of R&B. Making them a stand-out group, from the rest of their peers. With their tomboyish street soul, down to earth personalities, beauty and extreme talent…the world wasn’t ready, for what they were about to bring.

New York City-bred Coko, Taj and Lelee make up the trio known as SWV (Sisters With Voices).

The music for them started in their Brooklyn and Bronx school days as Female Edition, their so-called female answer to New Edition. Then it wasn’t to be stars themselves, they just wanted to meet NE. Having already gained the invaluable experience of singing weekly before a church congregation, Coko (whose mother is a noted gospel vocalist) and Lelee, as well as Taj, who attended a performing arts high school, had all the raw materials for building a successful music career. Motivated by their mutual quest for a career in music, as well as promising talent show performances, all three remained dedicated until fate led them to producer Donald “Dee” Bowden, who took them into the studio to record demos, and to their manager, Maureen Singleton, who landed them a contract with RCA Records.

In 1992 they dropped their debut album, “It’s About Time.” The album was recorded in six months.

SWV‘s debut album scored a string of top ten R&B hits. To be clear, every single released from the album hit the Top 10. “I’m So Into You”, “Right Here”, “Downtown”, “You’re Always on my Mind” and the classic “Weak.” “Weak” sold 50,000 singles in one day. This established the trio as a commercial force in early 1993. Teddy Riley helped the group craft their sound further with “Right Here/Human Nature, the remix to their hit “Right Here.”” The remix features samples of Michael Jackson’s hit, “Human Nature.” The remix also went #1 on the R&B charts, for seven weeks to be exact and went #2 on the Pop charts.

“It’s About Time” would go on to sell more than 5 million records worldwide, and would become the #2 best selling album of 1993.

SWV returned with their platinum sophomore release in 1996 “New Beginning.” Unlike their debut album, they were given more time to record. A process that took two years to complete. The album was preceded by the #1 hit “You’re the One,” which was written by Coko & Taj.

Release Some Tension, the groups third album released was led by the mega hit single “Can We.” Featuring Missy Elliot and produced by Timberland, which was also featured on the Booty Call soundtrack as well.

After SWV’s hiatus, Coko released one R&B album entitled Hot Coko that spawned the smash hit “Sunshine”, produced by Rodney Jerkins and Trifling. Coko has also released two gospel projects the Grammy nominated “Grateful” and “The Winner in Me”, which appeared 4th on the Gospel Music Billboard charts.

SWV reunited in 2005 and have been performing non-stop ever since. In 2008, SWV was also an honored guest at the BET Awards performing with Alicia Keys, En Vogue and TLC. The group released “I Missed Us” last year, an incredible R&B album with that classic SWV sound. Now the group is gearing up to go back in the studio to record another album soon and they have a new reality show that’s starting soon on We tv.

After a 15-year gap between studio albums, “I Missed Us” arrived in 2012 as a smart update of SWV‘s ‘90s sound.

2016‘s “Still” was SWV‘s fifth album and the best SWV album since “New Beginning.”

2017 marked the 25th Anniversary of SWV and BET honored the ladies with their first ever, televised musical award throughout their 25 years, at the Soul Train Awards.

SWV has sold more than 25 million records, making them one of the best selling girl groups of all time.

Over the years Aries from UB has conducted various interviews with Coko. We’ve selected our favorite quotes in interviews from 2009-2017.

Coko speaks on SWV‘s first award recognition after 25 years, their legacy and previous reality show SWV Reunited. As well as the possibility of recording another gospel album and her thoughts on the state of R&B.

Coko also gets candid with us on why she wasn’t in Will Smith‘s “Men In Black” video & her issue with Trackmasters. Coko also shares what her ideal tour would be, her favorite SWV songs and her essential list of R&B albums.

UrbanBridgez.com: What were your goals when SWV first started 25 years ago?
Coko: I had no goals honestly [when we started], I just wanted to get out of the hood. I had no idea that SWV would become so big!

UrbanBridgez.com: Congrats on the Soul Train Award honor, well deserved. How did it feel to receive to receive honor?
Coko: Just finally being recognized. We’ve been in the industry for so long. Never part of any cliques, just us. So we’ve always had to fight a lot harder than the rest. So, to finally be recognized was awesome! I just wanted the flowers before I was dead and gone.

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UrbanBridgez.com News hit recently of an SWV reality show coming to WE tv and fans like me are ecstatic! What do you guys want SWV fans to get out of watching the first season?
Coko: Thank you and what you’re gonna get or will get, because we’re done filming. You know us as SWV the music, but I don’t think you guys know our individual personalities. You think you know us, but you don’t really know us. Like most people would consider me to be a bitch and whatever! But you really get to see like who we are. How we operate in our everyday life with our family. Our family and how we come together within the group. You get to learn about our break-up. You have three different stories, so you guys can believe whatever story you want (both laugh). It’s three different versions about the same story (laughs). So you get to hear about that. You see us fight, but we’re passionate about each other and we love each other. We’re just rebuilding our friendship. In this show, we go to therapy. Two of us have plastic surgery.

UrbanBridgez.com Say Waaaa (both laugh)!
Coko: So you get to see all of that on the show! Some things that deal with health issues, you just get to see that we’re human. We go through things and a lot of the stuff that the bloggers say, it really effects us. You’ll see that we have a lot of fun and we’re crazy. You get to see all of that; it’s going to be a great show! Those that love us, once you see it..you’re going to love us even more!

UrbanBridgez.com I know that you happen to love various reality shows, what are a few of your favorites and why?
Coko: Right now, I am really enjoying R&B Divas L.A. That is one of my favorites. I was actually going to do it but the SWV show came up. So I went with my sisters. But Mo (Lil Mo) is my homey, that’s my girl! I’m looking forward to doing some work with her. But she is holding it down! I love it and I love R&B Divas L.A. because them heffas can sing! You know and I love good vocals. So that’s kind of my favorite show. Now you know I got to get ratchet (laughs). I love Bad Girls Club (laughs). That’s my show, I’m sorry but that’s a guilty pleasure of mine. Big Brother, of course Love & Hip Hop Atlanta. I think I watch shows that people would probably be like huh? I watch some of everything, I’m just a reality show lover.

UrbanBridgez.com “I Missed Us,” easily one of the best R&B albums of last year!
Coko: Thank you, thank you!

UrbanBridgez.com What was your motivation to get back in the lab with Leele and Taj?
Coko: You know, we’ve been officially back together since 2005. We’ve been saying we were going to record and finally we found the right situation to record and put new music out. I mean, we thought it was the right situation (laughs). But that’s what really made us come together and get this music going again. It got us motivated you know. It wasn’t the best situation for us but at least it brought us together and helped us put out some great music for the fans. So that’s defiantly all that matters. We’re going to be working on some new music soon!

UrbanBridgez.com We’ve talked about this, so I want to finally give you the chance to address it. Surprisingly many people don’t know it was you who sang the hook to Will Smith’s “Men in Black,” but those of us who did always wondered why you were not in the video? Tone & Poke of Trackmasters did an interview with Complex a few years ago and said you declined to do the video because you thought Will Smith was wack, in so many words?
Coko: I really don’t appreciate Tone, Poke or whomever else saying that. Because I’ve never had this discussion with Tone or Poke! That I said Will Smith was wack or implying it, because Will Smith was a friend of mine. What happened was my record label (RCA) wouldn’t allow me to be in the video. Back in the day if you remember SWV was never really featured in anybody else’s video. They would always say no, they wouldn’t allow us to do anything else. So that’s why I wasn’t in the video. I would have loved to be in that video because it was a huge song. It had nothing to do with me thinking Will Smith was wack, so Tone and Poke, you’re wack for saying that! Where are they now? Don’t worry, I’ll wait (both laugh)!

UrbanBridgez.com You are so silly! Any plans as of now to record another gospel album?
Coko: It’s so funny you ask me that, because I’m in the studio right now! We’re recording a gospel song, I’m recording a gospel remake from one of my favorite singers Tremaine Hawkins, “Change.” I’m doing this with a choir. But on the show, you will get to see what the deal is with this gospel situation. I can’t give away too much, but when you see the show, you guys will be like oh okay, got ya!

UrbanBridgez.com You’ve been in this business since you were a teen and have seen the industry pretty much come full circle. What’s your opinion of the current state of R&B from a radio standpoint?
Coko: I don’t even listen to the radio. Not the new school stations, I just listen to the old school stations. It’s just different, not my cup of tea. There are people out there that I still rock with, that I enjoy. But for the most part I don’t really get with it. I love Rihanna, because she don’t care (laughs). She makes good music, so she’s one of the people that I really like. Of course Beyonce,’ it’s amazing to see. Because I’ve known her since she was like 10 years old. To see the woman that she has become is great. Fantasia and I’m waiting for something from Jazmine Sullivan, because she’s like one of the best! There are a lot of them out there that are still doing it. They just don’t get the shine that they deserve! So it can become frustrating at times.

UrbanBridgez.com If you could change one decision you’ve made regarding your career thus far, what would it be?
Coko: I think I would say the break-up of SWV. I would say that with that decision if we would of just kept going. We could of been so much bigger and so much further in our career! So that’s one thing I would change.

UrbanBridgez.com What’s the best part of motherhood for you?
Coko: I don’t know, just watching my kids grow and grow well. I feel like I’m doing something right. You’ll get to see that on the show as well (laughs). You’ll get to see the way I am with my kids, it’s something!

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UrbanBridgez.com: Tell me about the new disc “The Winner In Me.”
Coko: “The Winner in Me,” I think it’s really a good CD if you’re going through it and just feeling down and out. I say it’s for depressed and insecure people. It’s something that can just uplift you, encourage you and make you feel better. To encourage you and let you know, there is a winner inside of you. A lot of people are going through alot in this day and time. I just wanted to put some music out there that’s real positive!

UrbanBridgez.com: What was the best part about recording the new album?
Coko: The best part? I don’t really like the studio (laughs). So that’s always like just terrible. But I think the best part about working on this record, was my Pastor he wrote two songs on this record for me. He actually wrote the title track “The Winner in Me,” so that was really exciting. He’s a great writer, so I got the chance to work with him and help him get out there some too. So that was really good for me when I was working on this record.

UrbanBridgez.com: How do you prepare yourself when you know you’re about to start work on a new release?
Coko: Oh man, I just have to sit there and get it together for a minute. Because like I said I really don’t like going into the studio because it’s such a long process. You have to always do stuff over and over again. So I just have to sit, by myself a minute and get it together. No talking, no yelling and screaming, because I know I have to be focused when I go into the studio and do what I have to do.

UrbanBridgez.com: When you recorded “Grateful,” were you at all worried about your fans reaction to your first gospel project?
Coko: I wasn’t really worried about the SWV fans, I was more worried about the Church people (laughs). SWV fans, you know they’re pretty cool. They just wanna hear some music. They’re pretty loyal, they flow with us. It was the Church people that I was much more worried about. Some of them gave me a hard time, but they’ve come around. It’s better now.

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UrbanBridgez.com: Being this is Black Music Month, take me back to when SWV first started, did you ever expect the success you all had early on?
Coko: No, not at all (laughs). I don’t know, we were just like girls from around the way. Doing whatever, I don’t think we took it as serious as we should have. We were doing it, because we love to sing. We didn’t expect it to ever be this big. And I don’t think we really understood how big we were until recently. Like when Alicia Keys called, and we did that with her (BET Awards 2008). Recently I did something with Keri Hilson, so I think now it’s starting to hit us. Like we did something, okay (laughs).

UrbanBridgez.com: Shanice talked to me recently about when she first got pregnant, her label made her feel like she had caught a disease, did you experience any type of backlash from your label when you were pregnant with your first child? I remember you being pregnant in the BLACKstreet (Tonight’s The Night) video.
Coko: They make you feel like that even before you’re pregnant. They let you know from the beginning, they don’t want you to do that. When I did get pregnant, I hid it for maybe 4 or 5 months. And they was like she is gaining weight, I wasn’t saying a word… So one day I called my manager, so he could let my label know. I was like I can’t hide it anymore, I’m busting out my jeans. They were upset, but you know what can you do I’m human. They got over it though.

UrbanBridgez.com: If you could put together a dream tour, who would you include?
Coko: I would love to do something with Patti LaBelle, that’s my ultimate. Who else, I love Ledisi. I love her energy. Man, she makes me just wanna sing all night. SWV would have to be in there. And I have to say Salt-N-Pepa, I did something with them recently. It was tight.

UrbanBridgez.com: Off the top of your head, what are your top 3 favorite SWV songs?
Coko: (laughs) You know what? All of my favorite SWV songs wasn’t singles. One of them is “What’s it Gonna Be,” I was just listening to that the other day. The other one is “Fine Time,” and “You Are My Love.” And they all were off the second record (laughs).

UrbanBridgez.com: What are three essential R&B albums you think everybody should have?
Coko: Hmm… Okay, I’m a little corny. I was just listening to this, Miki Howard has a greatest hits CD. I think everybody should own it. I love it, it’s awesome. I know people was looking at me like I was crazy on the plane, but I don’t care (laughs). I’m gonna say SWV for sho (laughs), everybody likes the first album, but I like the second album. That’s my favorite. And, I’m gonna have to say GUY! I have a whole lot more, but okay I’ll stick to three (laughs).

Stream Our SWV 25 UB Playlist & Watch Classic SWV Visuals