TDE’s MixedbyAli Details Classic Kendrick Recording Sessions, Dr. Dre’s Mentorship & More [Video]

TDE’s in-house legend Derek “MixedByAli” Ali sits down with The 3rd Verse Podcast and The Company Man for a new 90-minute deep-dive, walking through the history behind some of Kendrick Lamar’s most important records and the mentors who helped shape his sound.

Ali is the four-time Grammy-winning engineer behind the core TDE catalog – from Kendrick and ScHoolboy Q to SZA – and one of the architects of that whole sonic universe. Across the conversation he rewinds to the early Top Dawg Entertainment days and breaks down what “classic sessions” with Kendrick really looked like: long nights in LA studios, obsessive experimentation, and an approach where emotion and storytelling mattered just as much as pristine sonics. You get insight into how records like “good kid, m.A.A.d city” and “To Pimp a Butterfly” were built layer by layer, and what it takes to keep that level of detail consistent over an entire run of albums.

Ali also talks about being a protégé of Dr. Dre and how that mentorship shaped the way he hears records – from discipline in the studio to arrangement, dynamics and knowing when not to over-mix. On top of the history lessons, he touches on his role as founder/CEO of EngineEars, the platform he built to connect artists with engineers and open up the behind-the-boards side of the industry for the next generation.

If you care about how Kendrick’s music actually gets made – from raw vocal takes to the final mix – or you’re an engineer looking for game from one of the best to ever do it, this episode is an easy must-watch. Load up it up and let the full interview run.