Derek “MixedByAli” Ali Details Biggest Lesson He Learned From Dr. Dre

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Derek “MixedByAli” Ali has learned some valuable things from the legendary Dr. Dre over the years. While on set, Ali broke down the main reason Dre’s become a master of his craft in the studio and how he’'ll tinker with something until it’s to his liking.

Full interview -

Derek “MixedByAli” Ali had a passion for the process since an early age. The Grammy award-winning audio engineer pulled up on Iman and Ahrii to share his story of growing up in Gardena, CA, and finding his calling through music. Ali details his early hustle days in high school slanging ringtones to working with the biggest artists in the game.

(00:00) - Intro
(01:54) - Derek responds to the phrase "Sound of the Future"
(02:32) - Derek describes his upbringing in Los Angeles
(03:22) - Derek talks about having ADHD and struggling in school and his first hustle bootlegging ringtones on cell phones
(05:45) - Derek on always being a hustler and how that came to be
(06:39) - Iman on how he burned mixed CDs back in the day
(07:24) - Derek on going from making ringtones to recording songs and making mixtapes with Tyga and DJ Skee
(08:11) - Derek talks about his relationship with Tyga early on in his career
(09:57) - Derek recounts his earliest memory falling in love with music
(11:11) - Derek on when he knew he wanted to be an audio engineer
(12:42) - Iman and Derek on what 10,000 hours means to them and how Malcolm Gladwell was the inspiration
(13:49) - Derek speaks about who his biggest influences are
(15:57) - Derek gives his opinion on how if Artificial Intelligence could saturate the market and make it harder for artists to make money
(17:35) - Derek explains how he got connected with Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE)
(21:41) - Derek on what it was like seeing all of his homies come up at the same time he did
(22:38) - Derek shares the biggest lessons he learned from Dr. Dre
(26:54) - Derek compares mixing music to refurbishing an old Chevy engine and being a master of your craft
(28:25) - Derek explains the difference between a DJ and an Audio Engineer
(29:48) - Derek on what his process is when he gets asked to mix a record and how nobody is "bigger than the music"
(32:25) - Derek and crew discuss younger generations growing up listening to Spotify playlists instead of albums
(36:26) - Derek explains how artists use music to educate their listeners on real topics
(41:18) - Iman & Derek talk about fight or flight moments and how that can add to your greatness
(42:29) - Derek on his biggest eye-opener and hitting rock bottom
(44:35) - Derek talks about the birth of his daughter and how she changed his life for the better
(48:49) - Derek on his journey to find himself
(52:53) - Derek explains how important collaboration is
(56:14) - Derek on what it's like dealing with egos in the industry
(58:22) - Derek discusses the impact that the Kendrick vs. Drake beef had on culture
(1:00:38) - Derek and Iman become best friends over video games
(1:02:35) - Derek on what he's currently doing to improve himself & being present everyday for his daughter
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