Notch ~ Singer / Songwriter
CATEGORY: MUSIC TAG: LATIN REGGAE
One-half of ragga/hip-hop duo Born Jamericans, Notch (born Norman Howell in Hartford, CT) played a key part ushering in dancehall to American urban radio in the '90s with singles like "Boom Shak-a-Tak" and "Send My Love." Known then as Mr. Notch, he served as the sultry, smooth-singing counterpart to Edley Shine's rugged, toasting rhymes. After the group disbanded in 1998, Notch began tapping into his Latin roots and re-emerged in the 2000s as a hot reggaeton newcomer. Singing in English, Spanish, and Jamaican patois (sometimes all at once, which he coined "Spatoinglish"), he adds meringue, cumbia, and bachata in addition to urban-pop and hip-hop to his interchanging medley of reggaeton and dancehall. This cross-pollinating musical palate is informed by his racial background, a combination of black American, Puerto Rican, Jamaican, and Cuban heritage. He largely ignored his Latin roots when teamed up with Edley Shine, partly because of his Jamaican/Afro-Cuban father, who was a reggae bassist. A great influence on Notch, his father introduced him to those infectious dance riddims that eventually drew him toward Shine.
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