hoods. But the fact that he could really showed me a lot.”
was an easygoing person that everybody liked.”
Static’s worth is measured differently depending on who you ask, but to his family and friends his merit is immeasurable. “To me, Static was the songwriting king of R&B,” says Bigg B. “When it came to the hood R&B records he was the king.”
Static created a style of music that was completely original and unique to only him. He was born with an undeniable ear for music and could envision the finished product before others in the studio even knew the direction.
Static’s former Playa band member Black adds, “I was blessed to be around a musical genius. He was probably one of the top writers in the industry for the last ten years, but he didn’t get the notoriety that he deserved. He helped shape R&B music.”
“We would be in the studio sometimes and the beat would be going one way, and [Static] would be going another,” recalls Avonti. “It almost looked like he was off beat, but that just let me know that he would tap into something else, like another dimension. He was hearing something totally different than what everyone else was hearing.”
Similarly, Play feels Static was a legend. “I put Static in the same sentence as Pimp C,” proclaims Play. “He’s a legend to me. He’s the most humble guy we’ve worked with.”
Play adds, “What was so beautiful and incredible about him was that he was able to work with artists like Jay-Z, and then switch it up to a completely different sound with an artist like David Banner. Even though Static wrote these incredible R&B joints for artists like Aaliyah and Ginuwine, he still had a passion to make hood music.” Static’s passion to make good hood music was remarkable. Even more impressive was his uncanny ability to freestyle his masterpieces, a characteristic claimed by many elite emcees, but uncommon among songwriters. “Static was one of the first dudes we got to see in action without a pen and a pad,” says Play. “For an R&B artist, that’s unheard of. You hear about rappers all the time that just go in the booth and make songs off the top of the head, but Static did it on the R&B tip—harmony, melody, lyrics, everything.” His wife agrees. “We’ve been together ten years, and I’ve never one time seen him write one lyric. He had so many harmonies, I think he just had a true gift from God.” Perhaps it was his competitive spirit that fueled his creativity. “He was always so competitive,” points out Australian music maker Rudy, a.k.a. Groove. “Maybe that was just him being from Louisville. He was always so proud of his city. Like Muhammad Ali, he was always so driven to do things.” Static’s love for his city was undeniable. His mother remembers him telling anyone who would listen about his hometown and state. In fact, Static bragged on his home so much he had a custommade charm crafted in the shape of Kentucky drenched in blue and white diamonds. “The Kentucky piece that he had made was like a $200,000 dollar piece,” exclaims Lil D. “But dude would walk around with his chain on like he didn’t care. He was never scared of nothing. We’d walk around the hood and I’d be nervous, but Static was never scared of nothing.” “Static was a different person,” adds Lil D’s wife, Maemae Washington, who was also good friends with Static. “He always got along with everybody.” Compton crooner and former Cash Money Records member TQ has neighborhood stories as well. “When I first met Static I went to Louisville and Static took me to his neighborhood, and we basically hung out there. You’ll be surprised how many dudes in the industry can’t go to their neighbor82 // OZONE MAG
“He had his own way of expressing music,” Brandy recalls. “He would say, ‘Don’t be afraid of where music takes you.’ I believe that, and will always remember him saying it.”
Death
Stephen Garrett died on February 25th, 2008 in Louisville. It was speculated that the cause of death was a fatal brain aneurism, however, those reports were incorrect according to the story relayed on his brother-in-law’s Myspace page:
“Static was in Atlanta, and began to feel sick. His desire was to go home (Louisville, Kentucky) to be around family and seek medical attention. He had a virus. I, still, don’t know what the name of this virus was, but it was not a life-threatening issue, I do know. This particular virus affects the muscles, throat (quivering of the voice), as well as, causes drooping of the eye. He had no history of illnesses or anything of that nature. When he admitted himself to Baptist Hospital East in Louisville, Kentucky, the doctors presented him with medicine that would treat the virus. The treatment was taking the medicine through a shunt, in the neck, which treats more severe cases of this virus. Quicker than taking pills for days. Though, he didn’t want the shunt, the doctors insisted that he treat it this way. The treatment was a form of dialysis to filter the blood of the virus. He called his mom and told her, “Mama, something doesn’t feel right. It hurts.” When the doctor’s were made aware that the shunt was hurting him, they took it out......it was over! When taking the shunt out, they took it out in the wrong manner that resulted in damaging the artery. He bled to death!” Though most of his family and friends chose not to speak on his death, Smokey felt obligated to clarify the assumptions surrounding his good friend’s passing. “He died only from complications from a medical procedure. Nothing else brought it on, nothing else caused it. In other words, the hospital fucked up. In more reality terms, God don’t make mistakes, and He knows best. We love Static, we miss him, but God loves him more.”
IMPACT
During his 33 years on Earth, Static left an incredible mark on all those he touched. He will always be remembered as someone who made the world a better place. He will be missed by anyone who ever came in contact with him or his music. “I miss him waking me up in the middle of the night to tell me just he wrote a hit,” says his wife. “I miss him for my kids. I miss him for his family,
for his mother, for me. He was good to everybody. I miss him for the world, because the world didn’t get to really see him, or know him. At the time of his death, Static was on the verge of bringing his impending fame to fruition. “Static got offers from Atlantic, G-Unit called, and other major labels,” says Lil D. “But loyalty took him to the people who basically gave him his first million dollars—Blackground.” After signing his deal with Blackground Records, Static had recently completed his solo album Suppertime, and was prepping for its release. Less than three weeks before his death, Static flew to Las Vegas to film a video for “Lollipop,” a single he co-wrote with Lil’ Wayne. “Static’s solo career was really starting to take off,” says Jomo Hankerson, President of Blackground Records. “He was so excited about following up ‘Lollipop’ with his single, ‘I Got My,’ which is out there right now. He was finally gonna get his shot as an artist.” Lil D recalls, “I never saw him get excited about working with anyone the way he did when he was working with Lil Wayne. For the last two or three years that’s all he had been talking about, and he made it happen.” Not only did Static make his collaboration with Lil’ Wayne happen, but the song he helped create has proven to be a tremendous hit. Around a week after posting the song on his Myspace page, Lil’ Wayne received a million page views and rose to the #1 position on the Top Artist profile. Then on March 28th, “Lollipop” jumped 76 spots on Billboard Hot 100 chart going from # 85 to #9. At press time “Lollipop” was #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, solidifying the song as Lil’ Wayne’s highest charting single ever as a lead artist. “I will miss Static,” says Lil Wayne. “We will all miss him. He had a promising future, and a well respected history.” Black adds, “He was so young, we don’t know what other gifts he had yet to give musically. I think the world is gonna miss out on some great songs.” Thankfully, Static had over 1200 songs unreleased at the time of his death, so the world will be blessed with many more of his melodies for years to come. Recently, he worked with artists such as Jessica Simpson, Beyonce, Janet Jackson, Lil Wayne, Bobby Valentino, and Trey Songz. Although he died in his prime, he accomplished great feats. Stephen Garrett is one of the less than 1% of people in the world who became exactly what they said they would as a child. He was persistent and he always knew what he wanted in life. “I’m so proud that he was able to accomplish music as his career,” says his mother. “Music was his lifestyle.” His wife adds, “His legacy will live through his music. When I start missing him I just start playing his music, because it makes me feel close to him. I can still hear his voice, and a lot of people don’t get that when they lose a loved one.” She pauses. “They might save a voicemail or a message, but I have a whole catalogue full of music to listen to. I can hear him talk to me through his lyrics in every song.” // *Special thanks to Dorian “Lil’ D” Washington