​

Husband and wife team saxophonist and producer, LaDarrel “Saxappeal” Johnson of Detroit and LaKeisha "Ideeyah" Johnson, a vocalist also bred in Detroit, were asked to perform at the annual Dilla Day celebration, which honors hip hop producer Jay Dilla. They put together a band full of musicians, and during their set, the audience, already hyped up from their performance, asked them what their name was. Johnson told the crowd they were a collective piece of musicians, and that's when Pepper Holten, (mother of deceased Detroit rapper Proof) yelled out, "That's your name "Collective Peace!"

And, as they say, the rest is history.

​

Collective Peace started out as a spontaneous group that united for one show, but over the last few years, they have morphed into one of the hottest jazz/soul fusion bands whose eclectic sound is pummeling through the streets of Detroit. Infused with a blend of electrifying melodies, the band powerfully meshes a vast array of genres into one major sound. From the sultry vocals to the harmonious strings of the violin, Collective Peace is spinning the musical movement into a new direction.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

The group has performed for artists such as Zo!, Amp Fiddler, Jessica Care Moore, Dwele, Stokely (frontman of Mint Condition), Phonte of the Foreign Exchange, Sy Smith, Choklate, Carmen Rodgers, and many other phenomenal artists.

"Being where we are now, that definitely wasn't the plan four years ago," says Saxappeal, who is the music director/producer/saxophonist of Collective Peace. "It’s just exciting to see the movement growing, and the people are excited and their excitement excites us."

​

The blueprint of this group comprises of seven core members, all of which are Detroit based musicians. It's easy to label the band as a jazz group, but to truly define their sound is not that simple. Collective Peace’s keyboardist Kristopher Jahi Crosby says it’s mainly like hybrid music and combines jazz, R&B, funk, hip-hop and soul, all of which are genres the band is influenced by.

​

"A lot times what happens is with Saxappeal being the lead, they see the saxophone player and just assume its jazz," says Crosby. "They don't think it could be soul music or even hip-hop." Bassist, Kamau says "People like to put things in a category, but with our music, you really can't put us in a box.”

​

What makes Collective Peace’s performances unique is that the audience never knows what kind of genre the band will belt out. Their set covers a surge of songs from each of the members’ own projects as well as intricately deciphered cover tunes. Crosby describes the goal of the band is to ultimately work on their own individual projects while supporting one another.

 

Saxappeal's next album will most likely feature members of Collective Peace and the same goes with the other members’ solo albums.

The band has recently released their debut album, entitled "Introducing Collective Peace", which released on February 26th, 2016. The album features notable talent including Zo!, Amp Fiddler and Jessica Care Moore, Dwele, and more.

​

Collective Peace has recently signed distribution deals with Bling UniverCity in the U.S., and distribution deals with Urban Union and Sweet Soul Records in Japan and Taiwan. 

Now more than ever, with the release of their popular single, "Let The Music Play", which has been on the iTunes Top 100 Jazz charts since June 2014, fans outside of the metro Detroit area are enjoying the live Collective Peace experience and can’t seem to get enough. Crosby says experiencing a Collective Peace show is like coming to a party. The band is all about presenting positive vibes and sprinkling Detroit love through their signature sound. "We want people to leave the show feeling better than when they came into the show.  We really believe that music is universal, we want it to be from the smallest of kids to someone's great grandmother want music that everyone can relate to."