# Static Major
**Static Major** (born Stephen Ellis Garrett; 1974 – February 25, 2008) was an American R&B and hip hop singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer from [Louisville, Kentucky](https://www.edgepedia.org/louisville-kentucky), who wrote or co-wrote many of the defining R&B and hip hop hits of the late 1990s and early 2000s, including Ginuwine's "Pony" and Aaliyah's "[Try Again](https://www.edgepedia.org/try-again-aaliyah-song)" and "Rock the Boat"[1](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/a3c5e7b0-fde0-4b65-a89c-bab42c366c43) • [2](https://www.nts.live/artists/61913-static-major). He was a member of the R&B trio Playa and won a Grammy Award posthumously as a co-writer of [Lil Wayne](https://www.edgepedia.org/lil-wayne)'s 2008 chart-topping single "Lollipop"[3](https://www.grammy.com/artists/static-major/14295/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | 1974, Louisville, Kentucky; February 25, 2008, Louisville, Kentucky, aged 33[1](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/a3c5e7b0-fde0-4b65-a89c-bab42c366c43) |
| Group | Playa, a Def Jam R&B trio best known for the 1998 single "Cheers 2 U"[2](https://www.nts.live/artists/61913-static-major) |
| Breakthrough | Co-wrote and co-produced Ginuwine's 1996 hit "Pony" with Timbaland, at age 22[4](https://dmy.co/features/static-major-the-forgotten-genius) |
| Aaliyah catalog | Main lyricist for Aaliyah after 1998; credits include "Are You That Somebody?", "Try Again", "We Need a Resolution", "Rock the Boat", and "More Than a Woman"[2](https://www.nts.live/artists/61913-static-major) |
| Grammy | Best Rap Song winner at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards (2009) for "Lollipop", shared with Darius "Deezle" Harrison, Lil Wayne, James Scheffer, and Rex Zamor; also an Album of the Year nominee through *Tha Carter III*[3](https://www.grammy.com/artists/static-major/14295/) |
| Death | Complications of a medical procedure at Baptist East Hospital in Louisville; the Jefferson County Coroner's Office reported respiratory arrest and fatal bleeding after removal of a catheter improperly inserted into his neck[5](https://artikeldigital.com/en/Static_Major) |
| Posthumous features | Drake's "After Dark" (2018, number 41 on the Hot 100) and Jack Harlow's "Luv Is Dro" (2020)[5](https://artikeldigital.com/en/Static_Major) |
## Early life
Garrett was born and raised in Louisville in a musical family: he sang in his church choir, where his sister played piano, his mother was the musical director, and his father was the pastor[2](https://www.nts.live/artists/61913-static-major). A childhood classmate later recalled him entertaining the class by rapping and singing while tapping a desk to imitate a drum pattern[4](https://dmy.co/features/static-major-the-forgotten-genius). His sister's death when he was a teenager led him to a program for troubled youth, and a rendition of the national anthem earned him a scholarship to the [University of Louisville](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-louisville)[6](https://www.theculturecrypt.com/posts/static-major-retrospective).
## Swing Mob and Playa
Garrett's professional career began under Jodeci member DeVante Swing, whose [Rochester, New York](https://www.edgepedia.org/rochester-new-york)-based collective, the Swing Mob (also known as "Da Bassment"), also incubated [Missy Elliott](https://www.edgepedia.org/missy-elliott), Timbaland, and Ginuwine[2](https://www.nts.live/artists/61913-static-major) • [7](https://youknowigotsoul.com/exclusive-the-life-of-static-major-as-told-by-his-friends-and-musical-family). Swing had first heard Garrett's local group, initially called A Touch of Class, when they sang for him backstage at a Louisville concert; he later brought them into the collective, and the group signed to Def Jam in the mid-1990s as Playa[6](https://www.theculturecrypt.com/posts/static-major-retrospective) • [8](https://youknowigotsoul.com/youknowigotsoul-interview-with-smoke-e-digglera-from-playa).
Playa released one album, *Cheers 2 U* (1998), whose title single was written largely by Static[2](https://www.nts.live/artists/61913-static-major). After the Swing Mob members parted company with DeVante, Static and his Playa bandmates worked extensively as songwriters, co-producers, and background singers for their former colleagues[2](https://www.nts.live/artists/61913-static-major).
## Songwriting career
Static's first major success came with Ginuwine's 1996 single "Pony", which he helped write and produce with [Timbaland](https://www.edgepedia.org/timbaland) at age 22[4](https://dmy.co/features/static-major-the-forgotten-genius). He became one of Ginuwine's main songwriters, penning the lyrics to the Timbaland-produced hits "Pony", "What's So Different", and "So Anxious"[2](https://www.nts.live/artists/61913-static-major).
In 1998 he wrote the lyrics for Aaliyah's "Are You That Somebody?", and after its success he became her main lyricist[2](https://www.nts.live/artists/61913-static-major). His Aaliyah credits include "Come Back in One Piece", "We Need a Resolution", "Rock the Boat", her last single before her 2001 death, "More Than a Woman", and the number-one "Try Again" from the 2000 film *Romeo Must Die*[2](https://www.nts.live/artists/61913-static-major) • [4](https://dmy.co/features/static-major-the-forgotten-genius). During the same period he wrote for Nicole Wray and [Destiny's Child](https://www.edgepedia.org/destinys-child), contributing to "Say My Name (Timbaland's Remix)"[2](https://www.nts.live/artists/61913-static-major).
After Aaliyah's death in 2001, Static wrote for other artists, with later co-writing credits including Truth Hurts' "Addictive" and Brandy's "Come as You Are"; he also collaborated with producers [Scott Storch](https://www.edgepedia.org/scott-storch), Dr. Dre, and Jazze Pha, worked with [Pretty Ricky](https://www.edgepedia.org/pretty-ricky) and Tank in the mid-2000s, and appeared on [David Banner](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-banner)'s 2004 single "Crank It Up"[2](https://www.nts.live/artists/61913-static-major). His hip hop production credits include beats for Nas's "You Owe Me" and Jay-Z's "Change the Game"[9](https://djbooth.net/features/multi-talented-artist-static-major-dead-at-32-0226082/). In 2003, ASCAP named Stephen "Static" Garrett and Timbaland among its Songwriter of the Year honorees[10](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2003/BB-2003-06-21.pdf).
## "Lollipop" and death
Static signed to Blackground Records as a solo artist and was preparing a debut album, *Suppertime*, slated for release on OG Music/Blackground in 2008[2](https://www.nts.live/artists/61913-static-major) • [11](https://wbssmedia.com/artists/detail/4088). He recorded the solo single "I Got My" and worked with Lil Wayne on "Lollipop", the first single from *Tha Carter III*[9](https://djbooth.net/features/multi-talented-artist-static-major-dead-at-32-0226082/).
He died on February 25, 2008, at Baptist Hospital East in Louisville, at age 33, from complications of a medical procedure; earlier that day he had felt ill and returned to his hometown for treatment[5](https://artikeldigital.com/en/Static_Major). The Jefferson County Coroner's Office determined that, once a catheter that had been wrongly placed in his neck was taken out, he suffered respiratory arrest and died from blood loss, and his wife claimed medical negligence[5](https://artikeldigital.com/en/Static_Major). Early news reports, published before the coroner's findings, attributed the death to a brain aneurysm[12](https://allhiphop.com/news/producer-static-major-passes-david-banner-comments/).
"Lollipop" was released weeks after his death and became a number-one hit; its music video was dedicated to his memory[7](https://youknowigotsoul.com/exclusive-the-life-of-static-major-as-told-by-his-friends-and-musical-family). At the 51st Annual Grammy Awards in 2009, the song won Best Rap Song, crediting Static Major alongside Darius "Deezle" Harrison, Lil Wayne, James Scheffer, and Rex Zamor, and *Tha Carter III* received an Album of the Year nomination[3](https://www.grammy.com/artists/static-major/14295/). ASCAP later honored "Lollipop", co-written by Harrison and the late Garrett, as its Top Rap Song[13](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/ASCAP/00s/ASCAP-Playback-2009-Summer.pdf).
## Posthumous releases and legacy
Garrett's planned solo album never appeared, though his family later discussed releasing his unreleased material[14](https://youknowigotsoul.com/interview-static-majors-wife-avonti-garrett-talks-plans-for-posthumous-album-legacy). He was featured posthumously on Drake's 2018 song "After Dark", which peaked at number 41 on the Hot 100, and in 2020 on [Jack Harlow](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-harlow)'s "Luv Is Dro", a reworking of Static's own song "Love Is Dro"[5](https://artikeldigital.com/en/Static_Major). Drake had earlier sampled a recording of Static improvising at a piano on "Look What You've Done" from *Take Care* (2011)[4](https://dmy.co/features/static-major-the-forgotten-genius).
His songwriting is remembered for street-oriented sensibility, layered harmonies, and melodic hooks that shaped the sound of late-1990s and early-2000s R&B, and his credits continue to surface in the work of later artists who sample or cover his songs[7](https://youknowigotsoul.com/exclusive-the-life-of-static-major-as-told-by-his-friends-and-musical-family) • [6](https://www.theculturecrypt.com/posts/static-major-retrospective).
## References
1. [Static Major, MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/a3c5e7b0-fde0-4b65-a89c-bab42c366c43)
2. [Static Major, NTS artist profile](https://www.nts.live/artists/61913-static-major)
3. [Static Major, GRAMMY.com artist page](https://www.grammy.com/artists/static-major/14295/)
4. [Static Major: the forgotten genius behind Aaliyah's hits, DMY (2011)](https://dmy.co/features/static-major-the-forgotten-genius)
5. [Static Major, Artikel Digital](https://artikeldigital.com/en/Static_Major)
6. [Keep it Playa: Immortalising the Legacy of Static Major, The Culture Crypt](https://www.theculturecrypt.com/posts/static-major-retrospective)
7. [The Life of Static Major as Told by His Friends and Musical Family, YouKnowIGotSoul (2025)](https://youknowigotsoul.com/exclusive-the-life-of-static-major-as-told-by-his-friends-and-musical-family)
8. [Smoke E. Digglera interview, YouKnowIGotSoul (2009)](https://youknowigotsoul.com/youknowigotsoul-interview-with-smoke-e-digglera-from-playa)
9. [Multi-Talented Artist Static Major Dead at 32, DJBooth (2008)](https://djbooth.net/features/multi-talented-artist-static-major-dead-at-32-0226082/)
10. [ASCAP 2003 Winners, Billboard (June 21, 2003)](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2003/BB-2003-06-21.pdf)
11. [Static Major, WBSS Media](https://wbssmedia.com/artists/detail/4088)
12. [Producer Static Major Passes; David Banner Comments, AllHipHop (2008)](https://allhiphop.com/news/producer-static-major-passes-david-banner-comments/)
13. [ASCAP Playback, Summer 2009](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/ASCAP/00s/ASCAP-Playback-2009-Summer.pdf)
14. [Static Major's Wife Avonti Garrett Interview, YouKnowIGotSoul (2016)](https://youknowigotsoul.com/interview-static-majors-wife-avonti-garrett-talks-plans-for-posthumous-album-legacy)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Songwriters and record producers › Record producers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license