Derek McAllister Jr.[1] (November 6, 1994 – March 4, 2014), known professionally as Speaker Knockerz, was an American rapper and record producer from Columbia, South Carolina.

With his father's imprisonment, Speaker Knockerz's mother made the decision to move to Columbia, South Carolina in order to avoid an unhealthy environment.

[4] At age 13, he started using beat making program Fruity Loops after seeing a video of American rapper Soulja Boy doing the same.

This would be the song that would make him gain mainstream attention, as people would start to promote his music on the social media platform Vine and he would end up buying a black Chevrolet Camaro at the age of 19.

[14] In an August 2018 interview with XXL American rapper Lil Mosey revealed that Speaker Knockerz set the groundwork for his production style.

[15] During a November 2018 interview with The Fader, American rapper Roddy Ricch called Speaker Knockerz one of his biggest inspirations musically.

While there was something of a street edge to his approach, relative to influences like Lil Durk, there was an optimism and naivete to the Speaker Knockerz sound.

He shed the hardened shell of drill's aesthetic, focusing his energies on two contrasting moods: a bubbly, euphoric enthusiasm, and a deep, aching melancholy.