Speaker Knockerz

“Lonely” spread widely on social media in 2013, bringing Speaker Knockerz' self-released music to a broader audience during the rise of internet-based hip-hop. Born Derek McAllister Jr. on November 6, 1994, he was an American rapper and record producer raised in Columbia, South Carolina.

McAllister began in music as a teenage producer, teaching himself and selling instrumentals before moving into rapping in the early 2010s. Working under the name Speaker Knockerz, he released mixtapes and used online promotion to circulate his work. His records moved between hip-hop, trap, pop rap and bop, with a melodic approach that later artists have cited as an influence.

Speaker Knockerz died on March 6, 2014, when he was found in the garage of his South Carolina home. He was 19. Authorities reported no signs of foul play, and his death was later believed to have been caused by carbon monoxide poisoning. Though his recording career was brief, his music remained a reference point for later artists working in melodically driven, internet-era rap.