Steve Garrett Biography
Stephen Ellis Garrett Jr. (November 11, 1974 – February 25, 2008), known professionally as Static Major (and previously as Static), was an American R&B and hip hop producer, singer, rapper, and songwriter from Louisville, Kentucky. 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 its music video were both released in memory of his death in February of that year. Prior, he formed the R&B trio Playa in 1990, which was part of the larger DMV-based musical collective Swing Mob, led by DeVanté Swing. 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). 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?", both of which saw further success at numbers six and 21 on the chart, respectively. This served as a catalyst for Garrett to continue songwriting for other artists, most extensively for the latter; this resulted in credits for her 2000 single "Try Again" and the near-entirety of her self-titled third album (2001); the releases debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200, respectively.
