Aaliyah Week: An Ode To Static Major, A Louisville Legend
Stephen “Static Major” Garrett could be seen as a lyrical surgeon. He possessed the ability to cut out your aching thoughts and turn them into a string of therapeutic words, providing the much needed mental ease that you got from listening to his songs for other artists, or within the comfort of his Louisville brethren, Playa.
With his roots cemented deep in the church, Static Major’s voice transcended the holy sanctuary and landed on the ears of Jawaan “Smoke” Peacock and later Benjamin “Black” Bush. They formed the 90s group Playa — which saw the addition and subtraction of members before it became just the trio — after being discovered by Devante Swing of Jodeci at a concert. For Playa, music was a way of life. Black and Smoke’s first introduction via three-way resulted in a battle of the vocals, and they instantly knew they would click on wax. From winning top prizes at gospel expos to serving as a source of inspiration for Jodeci, the R&B group was determined to be a force to be reckoned with in front of the masses and behind the pen.
With the success of their debut album,
Cheers 2 U, Playa set their sights on spreading their name even further across the industry. Although their second album was put on hold, the trio focused on their personal endeavors and Static was just beginning to jump into the rap world. Two weeks before the release of a hit song that was set to introduce Static to a new audience, he passed away before he could enjoy the success of Lil Wayne’s track, “Lollipop.” Weezy recalled the moment that Static brought the song to him in the studio, stating that, “Once he pushed play I knew it was going to be magic.” He added that working alongside the Kentuckian “brought out the best of me.”
Below, Smoke and Black recall their fondest memories of Static and Playa, working in Da Bassment/Swing Mob collective, and producers behind Aaliyah’s self-titled album reveal what it was like to work with the pen behind her last project.
early, tho
