Early and personal life
Speaker Knockerz would spend the first years of his life in New York City. His father Derek McAllister Sr. was sentenced to 10 years in prison while the family lived in the city. With his father's imprisonment, Speaker Knockerz's mother made the decision to move to South Carolina in order to avoid an unhealthy environment. It is during his time in South Carolina that the aspiring rapper developed his passion for hip-hop music and its creation. In 2010, his father came back home having completed his sentence. Being a musician himself, Derek McAllister Sr. was able to assist his son with the creation of his first mixtape ''Flight Delayed''.Career
At age 13, he started using beat making program Fruity Loops after seeing a video of American rapperLegacy
On August 21, 2014, Florida rapper, Kodak Black, released a remix of Speaker Knockerz song "Lonely" called "Off A 14". In a 2016 unreleased song by American rapper Lil Uzi Vert titled "Alone Time", the rapper paid tribute to Speaker Knockerz. In February 2016, American rapper Denzel Curry paid tribute to Speaker Knockerz in his song "Knotty Head". In an August 2018 interview with '' XXL'' American rapper Lil Mosey revealed that Speaker Knockerz set the groundwork for his production style. During a November 2018 interview with '' The Fader'', American rapper Roddy Ricch called Speaker Knockerz one of his biggest inspirations musically. In November 2019, American rapper Kevin Gates released his song "By My Lonely", which samples Speaker Knockerz's song "Lonely" as an homage to the late rapper. The song peaked at number 86 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In February 2022, Los Angeles rapper OhGeesy released a song titled "Appetizer" in which he pays tribute to Speaker Knockerz in the second verse when he says, "Speaker Knockerz, I'm bumping Erica Kane". In November 2022, rapperMusical style
Writing for '' Complex'', David Drake describes Speaker Knockerz style in the following manner: "Enraptured by the sounds of the recent wave of Chicago artists, the Speaker Knockerz sound had a melodic, carefully-crafted feel. While there was something of a street edge to his approach, relative to influences likeDeath
On March 6, 2014, Speaker Knockerz was found dead in his garage in his South Carolina home. Speaker Knockerz was filed missing on March 5, 2014, after not showing up to studio sessions, meetings, and not responding to phone calls. In a 2023 interview on Drea O Show, Speaker Knockerz’ mother, Mesha Wilson, confirmed that the late rapper did not die from a heart attack, nor drugs, which fans recently had rumored. Speaker Knockerz’ mother also stated that weeks prior to his death, he had been upset and crying over his girlfriend cheating, and reporting him to the police after he allegedly stole her phone during an argument. Mesha Wilson said that family members blamed his girlfriend for his death, and mental health issues. As of 2023 Speaker Knockerz’ family have not yet revealed the official cause of death, but have denied rumors of drugs, and natural causes.References
External links
* {{Authority control American male rappers 21st-century American rappers People from South Carolina Rappers from South Carolina 1994 births 2014 deaths