Mic Holden
Percussion
Allakoi “Mic Holden” Peete is an emcee/percussionist committed to advancing the art forms of Jazz, Hip Hop, World and R&B with his deft ability to do them all innovatively and with earnest. The Inglewood native, got his start in music listening to dusty records on his parents stereo system. This is where the spark happened and the love for music began. His abilities developed over the years but didn’t become a career choice until his college years, where he studied Jazz performance at UCI with his 1st mentor James Newton. He also found himself doubling as an emcee/producer with his crew BlackWhole, a band of determined friends, aiming for the limelight in the independent Hip Hop movement quickly advancing on the west coast during the late 90’s. This is also when he met his percussion teacher Taumbu in Leimert Park, an LA area budding with a culture explosion reminiscent of the Harlem Renaissance era. He was all in. The next 30 years were steeped in courageous Jazz jam sessions, Afro-Cuban dance classes, live performances, international tours and studio recordings, giving Allakoi “Mic Holden” Peete experience beyond measure. You can now find him playing with or producing for the likes of RZA, EXO, Snoh Aalegra, Kamasi Washington, Terrace Martin, Koffee, Brian Jackson, Theo Croker, Josef Leimberg, Jamire Williams, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Thundercat, Fergie, Blu and Shafiq Husayn.