Speaker Knockerz

Background

Up-and-coming rap artist and emcee Speaker Knockerz was on the brink of fame and would have certainly gone far had destiny not intervened. Born Derek McAllister Jr. on November 6, 1994, in New York, he was the son of Derek McAllister, a former musician, and Mesha Wilson. He had a younger brother, Christian McAllister. When he was young, his mother moved him and his brother to South Carolina after their father was sentenced to a prison term. He attended Kelly Middle School, Ridge Valley High School, and Westwood High School. As a teenager, Speaker Knockerz developed an interest in hip-hop music and began experimenting with tunes on his computer and a beat-making program called FruityLoops.

The tunes Speaker Knockerz created on his computer marked the beginning of his career as he uploaded them to the internet and marketed them to the masses. His career as a rap artist took off in the year 2010 when he released his first mixtape “Flight Delayed.” The following year, in 2011, he sold his beats to the rapper Meek Mill, which was followed by another sale to Gucci Mane for the latter’s track ‘Re-up.’ The following year, he ended up uploading some 250 tracks to the internet, selling them all, and establishing his reputation as a musician. Then, in 2012, building on his fame, Speaker Knockerz began rapping and started his YouTube channel under the moniker Speaker Knockerz, which would become the name he would be most associated with. His single ‘Weekend’ became an instant hit, followed by another successful track ‘All I Know.’ In 2013, he went on to release two more mixtapes and also his hit “Rico Story” trilogy, followed by the track ‘Lonely.’ That same year, he also launched his own record label — Talibandz Entertainment — under which he released his new albums “Finesse Father” and “Married to the Money.” On March 4, 2014, Speaker Knockerz went missing, and his family reported the incident to the police. Two days later, on March 6, he was found dead in his garage by his father and the police. A few months after his death, another album “Married to the Money II” was posthumously released by Talibandz Entertainment, which had been taken over by his brother.

Till his death, he remained unsigned but his music videos on his YouTube channel averaged anywhere between 200,000 to 3,000,000 views, which testified to his popularity. While he was being pursued by Atlantic and Universal Republic, the deals could not come to fruition. His legacy and his music, however, continue to retain their fame among fans and followers.