Hip-hop has become widely celebrated as an art form, with praise openly heaped upon emcees and producers at every turn. And yet the engineers remain the unsung heroes, working tirelessly to ensure the incredible mixes -- a process that often gets taken for granted. But for those appreciative of the process, names like Derek "MixedByAli" Ali, Mike Dean, Alex Tumay, Dr. Dre, Eminem, DJ Quik and many more continue to hold weight as some of the game's most accomplished sound engineers. Today, with a new decade on the horizon, MixedByAli took a moment to reflect on his amazing, borderline legendary career.
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"I came In the game at 20 years old in 2010 and been hustling with my head down since," writes Ali, alongside an epic picture of his stacked discography. "10 years later, I’m 30 years old and can finally peek above water and appreciate the work I’ve done and the stamp that I’ve made in hip hop history. "Shoutout to every single artist/producer/manager/A&R that trusted my sonic vision and allowed me to play a part in bringing these amazing classic projects to life."
Is it fair to say Ali boasts the nicest discography in the game? Kendrick Lamar's Section 80 & To Pimp A Butterfly, YG's My Krazy Life, Danny Brown's Atrocity Exhibition, Boogie's Everything's For Sale, Roddy Ricch's Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial, ScHoolboy Q's Blank Face, Oxymoron, and CrasH Talk, Sza's CTRL, Nipsey Hussle's Victory Lap, Jay Rock's Redemption, Vince Staples' FM & Summertime 06', YBN Cordae's The Lost Boy, and more. Check it out for yourself below, and show some love to everything Ali has accomplished this past ten.