Prelude To A Legacy 6.12.09: Static Major
Posted by Fred Richani on 06.12.2009
Static Major was a brilliant songwriter, if not the greatest of his time. Read this column and learn about the creative genius you wish you knew about years before his untimely demise.
Who is Stephen Garrett aka Static Major? Actually, who WAS Static Major?
Yes, unfortunately Static Major is no longer with us, but chances are most casual music fans know him as the featured singer in Lil Wayne's most successful single "Lollipop". What they don't realize is that he actually wrote part of the number one hit. In fact, he's written quite a few hits.
You learn something new everyday, right?
Stephen Ellis Garrett was born on November 11, 1974 in Louisville, Kentucky. Stephen grew up with music, singing solos in his church choir, of which his mother was the director and his sister played piano. He kept singing throughout high school, being aware of the musical talents he was graced with. Eventually, he teamed with local cats "Smoky" and "Black" to form the group Playa. Playa ended up impressing a man by the name of Devante Swing, a member of the New Jack Swing phenomenon Jodeci.
It was Devante who helped Stephen, now under the name Static Major, hone his songwriting skills. He also insisted that Static submit the track that would later launch his songwriting career—"Pony". As luck would have it, "Pony" ended up being the debut single from then-up-and-coming Sony artist Ginuwine, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles and number six on the Hot 100 songs charts.
Playa ended up signing with Def Jam, where they released their first and only album, Cheers to You in 1997. After a brief stint at Def Jam, the group disbanded due to creative differences with the label. However, that didn't stop Static from staying on his grind. The hit single "Pony" helped guide him to meeting award-winning artist/producer Timbaland, as well as the powers that be of Blackground Records. Not only did Static develop a long friendship and partnership with Timbaland, but also met the late, great R & B singer Aaliyah, whom he dated at one time and became incredibly close with until her untimely death in 2001.
Remember those awesome songs from Aaliyah in "Are You That Somebody?" and "Try Again"? Well, Static Major penned them.
Throughout the dawn of the new millennium, Stat continued to pen hits like "Say My Name" for Destiny's Child, as well as "More Than a Woman" and "Rock the Boat" for Aaliyah. With three number-one's under his belt, he damn sure made his presence known in hip-hop and the rest of the music world. Everything was going well for Static by 2008. Heck, he was even described as Blackground Records' secret weapon. Why?
Well, Mr. Garrett was planning on releasing an album in 2008 titled Suppertime, which was going to be off the heels of the successful Lil Wayne single "Lollipop" and show people that he could be the best singer/writer since Ne-Yo. As of this time, that hasn't materialized because sadly Static Major is no longer with us. You see, he died on February 25, 2008 in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. The cause of death was due to complications during surgery at Baptist East Hospital. It was originally suspected to be due to brain aneurism, but has since been discovered that his death was due to possible negligence and malpractice while under hospital care.
Apparently he was stricken with a rare illness, one that sadly he may or may not have been able to come back from, had he had that proper care (although even now, details are still arising).
The point of this column wasn't to just briefly describe another artist. It's an education on a songwriter that was brilliant for his time and arguably the greatest of his generation. You listen to the songs he wrote and tell me they suck because they don't. And while Stephen Garrett did leave this earth unceremoniously to some, he went out on top—with "Lollipop" being number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. I hope his album gets released, although it might sadly be with little fanfare.
Do yourself a favor. Listen to his work and think to yourself for a minute. Through his writing, you heard something great. I just wish I knew about the guy sooner. I hope after checking out Stephen Garrett's work, you'll feel the same way.
