Coko: Being dark skinned was an issue
In my opinion, Coko was the vocal powerhouse with the model looks behind SWV. As a group, I really liked them, and now that she is a solo gospel artist, it is a welcomed treat to hear her sing again. I read a revealing 2006 interview she did with Vibe on skin color and the industry.
To me, she was the most beautiful, and her dark brown skin was an enhancer, and still is. She talked about the industry's preference for the lighter toned singers and how it affected her self-image. This is the first time I have heard this testimony from someone directly affected by racism and bias in the music industry.
Here are excerpts:
Coko: I don’t even think I knew what happiness was in the 90s. I was feeling my way. I’ve always asked myself about that. But I’m very happy right now with the woman that I’ve become. I love who God has created me to be and I’ve learned to accept who I am. I’ve always had a problem with just being who I was. I had issues with my skin color and all of that.
Vibe: Being dark skinned was an issue?
Coko: Yeah. That was a big issue for me. It’s kind of a big thing in the industry. They try to make it likes it’s not, but it is.
Vibe: How did it become an issue with you?
Coko: They favored light skin a lot and I remember when we first got signed to RCA, they really didn’t want to sign us I was told because there were two brown skin girls in the group. So that stuck. READ MORE...
It's interesting how you never know what's going on in people's live when it "appears" that they're having such a great time.
I loved SWV. While Coko definitely was the voice, Taj was always my favorite. I loved her looks and she always seemed to have more fun than the others. Coko was always kinda stiff and reserved, to me at least. I guess I know why now.
Very interesting post. I saw what she said about a potential reunion, we'll see.
Shelia,
That article is interesting also, because she is asked about those long fingernails, and she says what I was thinking back then: What was I thinking? lol
Yes, they always seemed happy until the rumors got out. Who knew she was dealing with skin color issues brought on by the powers that be? But she is making beautiful music right now. I suppose she is where she is supposed to be in life.
I started to say something about that but I let it go. I guess all of us have had our "what was I thinking" fashion moments, lol. Not quite THAT bad, but significant.
You know, I guess the industry could do that to a dark brown skinned sista. I'm just a little surprised that with as many brown skinned sistas as there are in the industry now, as well as how popular they were, that she was so bothered by her coloring. These sistas were HOT!
I get the impression that her issues were more deeply rooted with her than the industry. Kinda interesting.
Yeah Shelia, it's hard to know what she was thinking about her self image, unless she tells us. Like most of us, she probably was doing fine and comfortable with herself until others made her skin tone an issue.