STEPHEN “STATIC/MAJOR” GARRETT - (1976-2008)

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Music writer/artist/producer Stephen “Static/Major” Garrett died unexpectedly on Monday in his hometown of Louisville, Ky. I have yet to find any official reports about his death, but I have received numerous emails, not to mention, many people are leaving their condolences on his myspace page. This is a major loss for the music industry.

Many of you may not know Static by face, but you definitely know his music. He was signed to the Blackground record label where he found his first breakthrough working with R&B singer Ginuwine. The single “Pony” became a major hit and a milestone in the careers of both Static and Timbaland. He then went on to produce Aaliyah’s “Are You That Somebody?” featured on the Dr. Dolittle soundtrack. Not to mention he produced many tracks for Aaliyah’s self-titled final album. Many of you may also remember him as part of the R&B trio, Playa, who were signed to the Def Jam record label at one point during their career. In recent months he was working on his new album, SUPPERTIME, which was slated to drop this year.

He also worked with artists: Tank, Destiny’s Child, Brandy, JoJo, Jay-Z, and Diddy, just to name a few. Make sure to view the Playa video from “Cheers 2 U” after the cut. He also made a cameo in the “Are You That Somebody?” video as well.

We would like to give our condolences to his family and friends at this difficult time.