Derek A. Mikell

Built from the Block Up

Founder & President

Raised in Flatbush, forged in Harlem, and sharpened at Brooklyn Tech, I came of age in the ruff-and-tumble 1990s NYC—a time when Black brilliance and Black pain collided in the streets, on the screen, and through the speakers.

My story is rooted in the rhythm of a city that pulsed with contradiction: high Black-on-Black crime and rampant police brutality, yet also a renaissance of unapologetic pro-Black expression.

I lived through the Black to the Future era—when Spike Lee redefined cinema, Love Jones gave us permission to be poetic and tender, and Public Enemy, Arrested Development, and a new genre of music and film demanded that we be seen, heard, and respected. Culture became resistance. Storytelling became survival.

Hip-hop wasn’t just growing—it was evolving. The underground movement, led by Rawkus Records and voices like Mos Def, Talib Kweli, and Company Flow, gave rise to a new lyrical consciousness. Pete Rock’s dusty soul samples and boom-bap beats became the heartbeat of a generation searching for truth in the chaos.

Dancehall reggae and Caribbean rhythms—especially in Flatbush—seeped into the cipher, adding heat and heritage to the mix. Boot Camp Clik, Black Moon, and Smif-N-Wessun brought Brooklyn’s grit to the forefront, bridging borough pride with diasporic swagger.

This cultural alchemy shaped my lens: strategic yet soulful, methodical yet magnetic. I build systems with the same precision I once used to navigate city blocks, and I craft narratives with the same urgency that once echoed through boom boxes and protest chants.

My work is not just informed by history—it’s infused with it.