Unsung: Static Major

Stephen Ellis Garret, better known as his stage name Static Major, was a rapper/singer/songwriter/producer from Louisville, Kentucky. While he began his performing career as one-third of the trio Playa, he is best known for his appearance on the hit single by rapper Lil Wayne "Lollipop".


Static started his producing career on Blackground Records. He got his first break producing the Ginuwine single "Pony" along with Timbaland, which became a major milestone in both their careers. He later became a member of the Def Jam group Playa, best known for their single "Cheers 2 U". Playa released an album of the same name in 1997.


After working with Ginuwine, Static produced and wrote songs for Aaliyah, Nicole Wray, and was a frequent collaborator with the group Pretty Ricky. His most recent work was producing the song "Lollipop" featured on Lil Wayne's album Tha Carter III.



On February 25, 2008 Static checked into Baptist Hospital East, and after many tests, was diagnosed with a rare condition called myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disorder marked with symptoms of muscle weakness and fatigue. Doctors recommended a procedure called plasmapheresis, a treatment similar to dialysis that removes toxins from the blood through an implanted catheter as a central line through the neck and into the chest area. Radiology reports show that a catheter was improperly placed into his arm and when the nurse was instructed to remove it, he went into respiratory arrest and never recovered.