Speaker Knockerz

Speaker Knockerz emerged as a promising rapper and producer whose life ended in tragedy prior to his twentieth birthday. Born Derek McAllister, Jr., he grew up with a father, Derek McAllister, Sr., who had once pursued music but received a decade-long prison sentence during the family's time in N.Y.C. Seeking a safer setting, his mother relocated everyone to South Carolina, where the teenager discovered a passion for hip-hop and began crafting tracks on his computer. Following his father's 2010 release, the elder McAllister refined his son's productions, resulting in the year's end release of the debut mixtape Flight Delayed. The following year brought sales of instrumentals to Meek Mill and, separately, to Gucci Mane for the song "Re-Up." Speaker Knockerz gained traction as an MC after posting "Weekend" in 2012; the next twelve months delivered the single "Lonely" along with the three-part "Rico" series, which unfolded a gangsta rap narrative across successive releases. Offers from labels and fellow artists were arriving when authorities discovered him in his garage on March 6, 2014. The Richland County Coroner ruled the 19-year-old's death a heart attack from natural causes, with no evidence of substances or criminal involvement.