Norman Howell (born May 11, 1973), better known as Notch, is an American R&B,

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...

, and

reggaeton Reggaeton (, ), also known as reggaetón and reguetón (), is a music style that originated in Panama during the late 1980s. It was later popularized in Puerto Rico. It has evolved from dancehall and has been influenced by American Hip hop m ...

artist. He was the former lead vocalist and one of the creative forces behind the hip-hop/

group

Born Jamericans Born Jamericans are a reggae/ hip hop duo formed in Washington, D.C., in the 1990s. The group consisted of Norman "Notch" Howell and Horace "Edley Shine" Payne.Larkin, Colin (1998) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae'', Virgin Books, , p. 34-35 ...

. He is known for his 2001 chart topper, Nuttin nuh go so. He has featured on

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

s such as ''

Mas Flow 2 ''Mas Flow 2'' is the second compilation album by reggaeton producers Luny Tunes. The album was a joint venture with reggaeton artist Baby Ranks as he was featured in virtually every song in the album. Many of reggaeton's biggest names were feat ...

'', '' Mas Flow 2.5'', '' Chosen Few II: El Documental'', ''

Barrio Fino ''Barrio Fino'' (; en, "Fine 'Hood") is the third studio album by Puerto Rican rapper Daddy Yankee, released on July 13, 2004, in the United States by V.I. Music and El Cartel Records and internationally by Machete Music and Polydor Records ...

'', and ''

The Cosmic Game ''The Cosmic Game'' is the fourth studio album by American electronic music duo Thievery Corporation, released on February 22, 2005, by ESL Music. After the success of their previous album ''The Richest Man in Babylon'' (2002), the guest artist ...

''. His first solo album, ''Raised by the People'', was released in May 2007.

Biography

Early life

Howell was born in

Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. His mother is of

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, Native American, and

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

descent, however his brothers and sisters, from the same mother but different father, are of Puerto Rican and

descent. His father was born in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

and is of

Afro-Cuban Afro-Cubans or Black Cubans are Cubans of West African ancestry. The term ''Afro-Cuban'' can also refer to historical or cultural elements in Cuba thought to emanate from this community and the combining of native African and other cultural ele ...

and French descent. Howell's parents separated when he was still an infant. He spent his early years with his mother, living in Hartford, Connecticut. Howell grew up in a multicultural neighborhood and learned

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

because most of his friends at that time were of Hispanic descent. He left Connecticut to live with his father in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, when he was nine years old. Notch also spent a short time in

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = " Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , e ...

before moving back to Washington, D.C., where he lived until his early twenties.

Career

Notch is fluent in American English,

Jamaican Patois Jamaican Patois (; locally rendered Patwah and called Jamaican Creole by linguists) is an English-based creole language with West African influences, spoken primarily in Jamaica and among the Jamaican diaspora. A majority of the non-English wo ...

, and Spanglish. He mixes all three dialects and languages in some songs, a mixture he calls "Spatoinglish". Notch has worked with

Daddy Yankee Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez (born February 3, 1976), known professionally as Daddy Yankee, is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer, composer, and actor. Known as the " King of Reggaetón" by music critics and fans alike, he is the artist who coined ...

Luny Tunes Luny Tunes are a reggaeton production duo consisting of Francisco Saldaña (Luny) and Víctor Cabrera (Tunes) who have been known for creating unique musical rhythms for some of the most popular reggaeton artists since the early 2000s. Biograph ...

Voltio Julio Voltio (born as Julio Irving Ramos Filomeno on June 11, 1977 in Santurce, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican former reggaeton artist. A pioneer of the reggaeton genre, Voltio retired from music in 2014 and dedicated himself to preaching Christi ...

Baby Ranks David Luciano Acosta, known professionally as Baby Ranks, is a Puerto Rican and Dominican reggaeton artist. He has co-billing on the Luny Tunes album ''Mas Flow 2'', and sings on multiple tracks including the single " Mayor Que Yo" ("Older than ...

Thievery Corporation Thievery Corporation is an American electronic music duo consisting of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton. Their musical style mixes elements of dub, acid jazz, reggae, Indian classical, Middle Eastern music, hip hop and Brazilian music, including bo ...

, Sublime,

Pitbull Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...

, T-Weaponz, and

Rascalz Rascalz are a Canadian hip-hop group from Vancouver, British Columbia. The group played a crucial role in the artistic and commercial development of Canadian hip hop as well as specifically for the Westcoast scene in Vancouver popularizing the te ...

. Notch has provided vocals on several Thievery Corporation songs, including the title track of ''

The Richest Man in Babylon ''The Richest Man in Babylon'' is a 1926 book by George S. Clason that dispenses financial advice through a collection of parables set 4,097 years ago in ancient Babylon. The book remains in print almost a century after the parables were origin ...

'', "Amerimacka", "Blasting Through the City" and "Strike the Root". Four songs also appear on Thievery's Corporation's "The Temple of I & I" including "Strike the Root," "True Sons of Zion," "Weapons of Distraction," and "Drop Your Guns."

Discography

Born Jamericans

*"Boom Shak-a-Tack" (1993) *"Cease & Seckle" (1994) *'' Kids from Foreign'' (1994) *''

Yardcore ''Yardcore'' is the second and final studio album by Born Jamericans. The title track was released as single on CD and 12" vinyl, with several remixes. "Yardcore" reached #8 on the U.S. Hot Rap Singles chart. The album ranked #14 on ''Billboard ...

'' (1997)

Solo work

*''Raised by the People'' (2007) *#Intro/ Hay Que Bueno *#Dale Pa' Tra (Back It Up) *#Algarete *#Guaya Guaya *#Que Te Pica *#Layaway Love *#Layaway Love Remix (feat.

Fatman Scoop Isaac Freeman III (born August 6, 1971), better known by his stage name Fatman Scoop, is an American rapper, promoter and radio personality famed for his on-stage rough, raw loud voice. He is known for the song " Be Faithful", which topped the c ...

) *#Rosalinda *#Traemelo *#Tocame *#Más De Ti *#Ella Se Fue *#Castigo *#No Problema *#Jah Mexi Cali *#Mano y Mano *#Verme (Remix) - (with

& Jabba) *#Chévere (Remix) - (with

) *#Bailar Reggae *#Bun Out Bad Mind *#Hay Que Bueno *#Tú 'Tá Loco

References

External links

PopMatters.com - Review of Thievery Corporation's album "The Richest Man in Babylon".
{{DEFAULTSORT:Notch Jamaican reggae musicians American reggaeton musicians Dancehall musicians 1973 births Living people Musicians from Hartford, Connecticut