Derek Ali, also known as MixedByAli, is the resident sound engineer for TDE, and founder of Engine Ears. He’s worked with everyone from Kendrick Lamar, Dr. Dre, YG, Mac Miller, SZA, Baby Keem, and many more of today’s industry leading artists. 

Born and Raised in Gardena, California, Ali was raised by his grandparents in a Polish household, where the Eastern European culture runs deep. Although he’s now a well established entrepreneur, Ali’s first hustle in high school was making ringtones for his friends for $20. Unconsciously, this is when he would be introduced to his dream career. 

As a teenager, Ali played Defensive End on his high school football team, even played alongside his future TDE family, SchoolBoy Q. However, after a career ending injury, he was drawn back to music and eventually found himself at Top Dawg’s house through an invite from Dave Free. This would lead to him working with Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, and Jay Rock in the beginning of their careers. 

As Ali became more immersed in becoming the best engineer he could be with mentorship from Dr. Dre, he found himself in a family of driven people that did nothing but fuel his drive to be the very best.  Surrounding himself with likeminded people led him on a journey that would take him all over the world. Eventually, he would strike out on his own to found Engine Ears.

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