I remember one of the toughest conversations that Static and I had. I was walking into the office, this was like 8:30 in the morning, and the phone rings. He’s like, ‘Man, this is one phone call I dread making.’
THE COME-UP
After 1996’s “Pony” went to No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B chart, Static was a proven writer. DeVante had long planned to sign Da Bassment Crew to Def Jam and release a compilation album through his Swing Mob label. While DeVante was busy with Jodeci, Playa would later go on to score its first hit single, the slow jam “Cheers 2 U,” but their album underperformed. Static had to make some tough decisions.
SMOKEY: DeVante gave everybody the option to sign under him. We signed straight to Def Jam.
DEVANTE: Then the camp kind of split up. Static stayed down with me the longest when the whole camp split up; he was still living with me. Then I had my own problems I had to work out, and Static started writing for Timbaland.
RUDY SANDAPA (production partner): Static didn’t want Playa to come out like a regular R&B group. He wanted to come out more ghetto....
LIL D: He was a rapper trapped with an R&B voice. He’d listen to BG, Juvenile, Lil’ Boosie, Joc, and Franchize Boyz. The most ghettoest music you could hear.
DEVANTE: He probably got that from being around me. Everybody [in Da Bassment] listened to hip hop; we didn’t really listen to R&B because we felt like we do R&B, we sing, that’s easy. So we all listened to what was going to make us move. That’s where we got our swag from, how we live, our culture.
SMOKEY: Working on [Playa’s debut] Cheers 2 U was rough. There was an A&R at Def Jam....
BARNETT: A guy who didn’t know shit.
SMOKEY: We got with Blackground Records in ’99 [after Cheers 2 U]. We ended up getting A&R control over the second album.
JOMO HANKERSON (president, Blackground): We thought Def Jam would come around. And over time, it just didn’t happen.
BARNETT: Barry and Jomo Hankerson basically convinced [Playa] to say, “Fuck Def Jam.”
SWADE: Playa didn’t explode like they should have. I remember they came out the same time as Dru Hill, and [radio] showed more love to Dru Hill than they did to Playa. It was a lot of haters in Louisville at that time. People didn’t want to see you get bigger than them.
RAYMOND: I remember one time Playa performed in Louisville with NEXT. Playa came on before NEXT, and NEXT was supposed to close this show out, but Playa did so well and had the audience grooving with them so much that NEXT came out there saying they wasn’t feeling well.
ANDREWS: But now that's all the radio talks about, like they were Static’s best friend.
SANDAPA: Playa had a hot second album. When I first came over here, they were getting that mixed. And Def Jam already had a single picked out.
SMOKEY: Timbaland had like five records on it. We said, “Okay, we’re going to record this and not present anything to [Def Jam], until it’s done.” Def Jam didn’t really know R&B music like that.
When we brought our [sophomore album] to Def Jam, I think there was so much attitude and ego tripping from not letting them in on it, [Def Jam] was basically like, We don’t get it...and dropped us. Static started writing for other artists.
BARNETT: Black and Smokey weren’t the dope songwriters that Static was. Smokey and Black weren’t really getting any music placed. And they were kind of getting mad. They were like, “Damn, dog, you know we ain’t eating. Why can’t we all write this song together?” Stuff started escalating. People grew further apart.
SMOKEY: But it was rough. Money didn’t come like you needed it or wanted it, or expected it to. Like, we would go to a city when we were performing, that wasn’t even playing our records, but they would start playing it a week before we were supposed to arrive. And when we would leave, it would go back to business as usual.
I can’t put my finger on why in the hell radio wasn’t playing our records.
RAYMOND: One person just wouldn’t participate, or work as hard. When you’re supposed to be in the studio and doing what you’re supposed to do, they weren’t there.
BLACK: I don’t want to put it all on Smokey, but for the most part the last year and a half Playa was together it was more me and Static then me, Static, and Smokey.
MARK GUNN (Louisville radio personality on B-96.5): I remember one of the toughest conversations that Static and I had. I was walking into the office, this was like 8:30 in the morning, and the phone rings. He’s like, “Man, this is one phone call I was dreaded making.”
RAYMOND: He said he had to do it, he had to move on, and Playa was holding him back. He was hurt.
GUNN: So I told him, “I know how much you want the performing thing, but, you know, don’t sell yourself short. I mean, you’re writing hit records for a reason. There’s a reason you have the juice in the industry that you have.”
BLACK: Playa broke up because we spent too much time trying to be writers and not enough time trying to be artists.
Aaliyah was crazy about him…I don’t know where Aaliyah wanted the relationship to go, but I know from my son’s standpoint he pretty much told me he’d never marry anybody in the industry.
As Playa grew apart, Blackground invited Static to be the lead writer for Aaliyah’s self-titled third album. After two acclaimed albums, the 21-year- old was on the brink of super-stardom. But her young life was already filled with drama, including an annulled marriage to former mentor R. Kelly. With Garrett, she found the perfect partner. But their chemistry would be short-lived.
MISSY: Static’s relationship was like that of a brother to Aaliyah. We were all family. We’re the “superfriends.” Everyone in our clique is brother and sister to each other.
SANDAPA: Anytime Aaliyah heard one of Static’s songs, she wasn’t that keen on recording them. But she’d go ahead and record it, and it would end up being a smash, from “Are You That Somebody?” to “Try Again.” Those were songs she didn’t like.
AVONTI GARRETT (wife): His songwriting was sexual, but wasn’t overtly sexual.
RAYMOND: “Rock the Boat” was written at least two years before it came out. The label didn’t think she was ready for that type of song when Stephen wrote it for her.
BARRY HANKERSON (founder, Blackground): We always were protective over every lyric. Her mom in particular would always have the last word on how sensual something was. But he did things where you never felt offended. You just felt like you overheard someone thinking... he was clever.
SANDAPA: He always felt like she was the best representation of his songwriting.
RAYMOND: When he wrote, “More Than A Woman,” that was when they were trying to move her out of the ball caps, pants, type thing.
MISSY: He was a part of that bridge of Aaliyah growing up lyrically.
BARRY: Aaliyah depended on him.... He depended on her.
BARNETT: Static [always] had a huge crush on Aaliyah, and she had one on him. But Static was always so professional. He was like, “I can’t rap to her like that because that’s Barry’s niece... that’s Jomo’s little cousin.”
RAYMOND: But [from 1997-1998] they were definitely an item. Aaliyah was crazy about him. Stephen told me [once], “I got a surprise for you,” and his surprise was he brought Aaliyah to my wedding. That was a big deal because [her parents] didn’t let her go places. I don’t know where Aaliyah wanted the relationship to go, but I know from my son’s standpoint he pretty much told me he’d never marry anybody in the industry. [But] he was able to write for her so well because he knew her language.
BLACK: We normally went to every video shoot Aaliyah did. “Rock the Boat” was the first Aaliyah video we didn’t go to. Nine times out of 10, we would’ve been on the plane with her.
AVONTI: Someone had sent [Static] a message saying that Aaliyah had passed, and he got really upset. He thought it was a joke. He said, “Why would someone say something like that?” He called Jomo, and Jomo just started crying and said, “It’s true.” [Static] just stood there.
ALEXIS GARRETT (niece): He wasn’t crying, he was more in shock. He couldn’t believe it.
AVONTI: He said after losing his sister, he just didn’t look at death the same way.
SANDAPA: Like a couple times in the studio he’d just be like, “This is a difficult time right now.” He would always tell me that [her death] hit him real bad and he would just try to be strong and get through it.
ALEXIS: He didn’t want us playing her music afterward. We were in the basement one day, and I had a DVD of her videos. It was “Try Again” or “One In A Million,” and I was watching it and he was like, “Ay Lexi, can you turn that down for me?” and I just kind of turned it off, because I can tell he wasn’t feeling it.
BRYAN-MICHAEL COX (producer): “Are You That Somebody?” It ain’t been a record like that since. Timbaland tried to do it with Justin Timberlake, but with no Static that vibe ain’t there.
DEVANTE: I think Justin Timberlake bit a lot of Static’s singing and writing style. It’s like, okay, this dude is biting from Static, I can hear it in his riffs, he sounds like Static.
COX: Sounds like Justin was listening to a lot of Static when he wrote, “My Love.” Justin channeled Static for that Future Sex Love Sounds album, the whole album. All them Timbaland songs, he channeled Static.
DEVANTE: I can tell how Justin moves, that’s how Static moves, that’s his swag. I study this game, I’m old, so I know where people get shit from.
COX: And it’s a shame that Static wasn’t able to benefit from that. Static gave him a little something, and you can tell [Justin] I said it.
Read "One In A Million" Part One.
Read "One In A Million" Part Two.
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