Static Major

Stephen Ellis Garrett Jr. (November 11, 1974 – February 25, 2008), known professionally as Static Major (and previously as Static), was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Louisville, Kentucky.

Prior, he formed the R&B trio Playa in 1990, which were part of the larger DMV-based musical collective Swing Mob, led by DeVanté Swing.

Garrett also worked in tandem with Swing Mob cohort Timbaland to co-write Ginuwine's 1996 single "Pony" and Aaliyah's 1998 single "Are You That Somebody?", which saw further success and peaked at numbers six and 21 on the chart, respectively.

He made a breakthrough working with R&B singer Ginuwine, writing and co-producing the 1996 song "Pony" which became a major hit and a milestone in both Garrett and Timbaland's careers.

Garrett later became a member of the Def Jam group Playa, who were most known for their hit single "Cheers 2 U".

The former group signed with Def Jam Recordings and became best known for their 1998 single "Cheers 2 U", which entered the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 and preceded the release of their sole studio album (1998).

Playa released an album of the same name in 1998.

After working with Ginuwine, Garrett assisted in producing songs for Nicole Wray for her 1998 debut album, Make It Hot.

He would eventually become the lead songwriter for Aaliyah.

His songwriting collaborations with Aaliyah include: "Are You That Somebody?", which was featured on the Dr. Dolittle soundtrack, and the Romeo Must Die soundtrack singles "Come Back in One Piece" and "Try Again" (her only Billboard Hot 100 number-one single).

The songs "More than a Woman", "We Need a Resolution", "Rock the Boat", "Loose Rap" (which he was also featured on), "Extra Smooth", "I Refuse", "Read Between the Lines", "Those Were the Days", and "Never No More" were all featured on her third and final studio album Aaliyah.

This served as a catalyst for Garrett to continue songwriting for her and other artists, resulting in his credits for the near-entirety of her self-titled third album (2001), as well as her 2000 single "Try Again", which debuted atop the Billboard 200 and Hot 100, respectively.

Garrett started his producing career when he joined DeVante Swing's Swing Mob.

"Poison" contains vocals recorded by Aaliyah shortly before her death in 2001.

Garrett can be heard delivering background vocals.

In 2005, Garrett collaborated with R&B group Pretty Ricky on their song "Juicy".

He is best known for his posthumous guest appearance on Lil Wayne's 2008 single "Lollipop", which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 and received diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

The song and music video were both released in memory of his death in February of that year.

He was featured on Lil Wayne's chart-topping 2008 song "Lollipop", which he co-wrote.

The music video for "Lollipop" was dedicated to his memory.

Garrett once reflected on where his inspiration came from, saying "I stay in the streets, that's where I draw my inspiration [...] If it can't be played in the hood, then it just doesn't work for me. And nobody can hold me on harmony. My whole aura is not your typical R&B aura."

Garrett died at age 33 at the Baptist Hospital East in Louisville, Kentucky, on February 25, 2008, from complications of a medical procedure.

Earlier that day, Garrett had felt extremely sick and went back to his hometown to seek medical attention.

According to the Jefferson County Coroner's Office, he went into respiratory arrest after the removal of a catheter that was inserted into his neck.

After his sudden death, Garrett's wife alleged medical negligence, though it is unknown whether this was the case.

Garrett was featured posthumously on Drake's 2018 song "After Dark", which peaked at number 41 on the Hot 100.

The track is largely a reworking of Static's own song "Love Is Dro", which had been previously released in 2018.

On December 17, 2021, a new posthumous single from Aaliyah was released, titled "Poison".

The song featured The Weeknd, who was credited as a co-writer alongside Garrett and Belly.

In 2020, Garrett was featured alongside Bryson Tiller on Jack Harlow's "Luv Is Dro", from his debut album Thats What They All Say.