Norman Howell, better known as Notch, is a reggae, dancehall, R&B and reggaeton artist who hails from Connecticut.

Howell was born May 11th, 1973 in Connecticut where he spent the early years of his life. He learned Spanish by the time he was nine years old as he lived in a multicultural community and most of his friends were of Hispanic descent. By the time he was a teenager, he had moved to Washington to live with his father. While with his father, he moved to Bermuda for a short period where he got in touch with his Caribbean heritage before he moved back to Washington in his early twenties. It was here that he and a friend formed the hip-hop/reggae duo "Born Jamericans", with Howell as the lead vocalist. The duo produced fusion music that incorporated reggae, latin, alternative, pop, R&B and reggaeton to produce a unique sound. They went on to produce 2 albums titled "Kids From Foreign" (1994) and "Yardcore" (1997).

Howell after making himself known to the music industry, embarked on a solo career, and he rocketed back onto the scene with hits such as "Hay Que Bueno", "Verme" and "Chevere". He has been credited with introducing the US to a new style of music that is commonly called Spatoinglish that is a combination of Spanish, Patois and English. He made his mark on the reggae scene with the smash hit "Nuttn Nuh Go So" on the Buy Out riddim. He has also collaborated with some well-established artistes, such as Daddy Yankee on his track "San Pedro" and Beenie Man on "Pure Pretty Gal". Most recently he has featured on Black Chiney's Kopa riddim on the single "V.I.P. get Back".

Howell released his first solo album "Raised By The People" in May 2007. Not to be caged in, he has broadened his horizons to television, as some of his new material has been featured on NBC's hit shot "ER" and "Third Watch". He has also performed on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien".

Notch continues to work on music as he claims it is his vision to "become one of the many musical bridges, connecting cultures of the world together through music that is derived from my diverse and mixed up cultural backgrounds."