Speech was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and spent his childhood years there and in Ripley, Tennessee, before relocating to Georgia in 1987 to attend the Art Institute of Atlanta.

In a four star review, Rolling Stone wrote that "Speech still has a gift for the swinging rhythms and decent expressions that get past the differences that divide the pop audience.

"[2] Speech went on to pursue his solo career, also starting Vagabond Productions as a vehicle for Arrested Development and their business dealings, and became a promoter of neo soul, hip-hop, and rock concerts in Atlanta.

Speech did various shows with Herbie Hancock, Chaka Khan, Youssou N'dour, James Brown, Parliament – Funkadelic, Jason Mraz, and The Roots.

The musical side of Speech kept him producing and writing songs for progressive artists like Zap Mama, Spike Lee's Malcolm X soundtrack, and Boomerang starring Eddie Murphy.

[4] Speech toured with US Vice President Al Gore and First Lady Hillary Clinton in the South during the 1996 United States Presidential election.

In addition to touring and releasing his own albums, Speech has performed on several other projects including 1 Giant Leap and collaborating with Zap Mama on "Each Step Moves Us On".