Biography
Notch was the former lead vocalist and one of the creative forces behind the Hip-Hop/Reggae riddim machine Born Jamericans; the dynamic duo group that is often said, to be one of the pioneers to introduce Reggae to mainstream American in the nineties; He has shared headline billing on sold-out tours around the world with the likes of Destiny's Child, Snoop Dogg, Sean Paul, Rabanes, Daddy Yankee, Tego Calderon, Don Omar, Beenie Man, Shaggy, Shabby Ranks, just to name a few.
Today as a solo artist on a different musically journey, NOTCH IS BACK -- stronger than ever and wasting no time, NOTCH has regained his place at the top of the charts with the several Spanish fused smash hits such as Hay Que Bueno, Verme and Chevere.
Born to a Black American mother of Portuguese, Native American and Caribbean descent and a Jamaican father of Cuban and French descent, NOTCH's sound is definitely a musical reflection of his own eclectic multi-cultural background, as well as an artistic evolution were he masterfully fuses genres of music such as Reggae, Latin, Alternative, Reggaeton, R&B, and Pop. He also tapped into his rich multi-culture heritage, introducing a new generation to Spatoinglish a unique combination of Spanish, Patoi and English to create music that earned him constant airplay and positioned him atop of all major Spanish and Urban radio stations; building bridges between Latin America, the Caribbean and the USA; crossing traditional programming lines and connecting with broad audiences in many diverse and urban markets; and his style of music has definitely evolved into an unstoppable universal sound that transcends through languages, cultural and ethnic barriers.
NOTCH now owns the common sound between riddim and ritmo and has consistently managed to stamp his mark on the Billboard charts; a few notable examples are the electrifying Spatoinglish fusion Reggaeton songs Hay Que Bueno which is featured on the Chosen Few Compilation - El Documental, he can also be heard on the Bandera-Latin Hip-Hop track "San Pedro" on Daddy Yankee's multi-platinum Barrio Fino album; he also teamed up with Sony Norte's Reggaeton artist Voltio on the smashing hit Chevere which is featured on Voltio's last album Voltage.
NOTCH also dug into his reggae roots with the solo title track Nuttin Nuh Go So on the Buy Out riddim, the riddim that is popularly known as the Sean Paul Like Glue Riddim. He can also be heard on Grammy Award winner Beenie Man's previously released album, on the track titled Pure Pretty Gal, produced by Tony Kelly and recently on the Kopa Riddim produced by Black Chiney the smashing single V.I.P. Get Back.
Not limited to any one genre and collaborating only with Reggae and Reggaeton artists, NOTCH was the front man on the acid jazz fusion group Thievery Corporation's song The Richest Man in Babylon debuted on the Billboard 200 charts and he was invited to perform on NBC's late night talk show Late Night with Conan O'Brien. He once again lends his voice to their latest album The Cosmic Game with the laid-back roots song "Amerimacka". He was also featured on the famous Canadian BMG Hip Hop Recording Artists the Rascal Crazy World album which debuted at #22 on the Canadian Billboard Charts.
From Jazz to Alternative, he has worked with Brand New Heavies on their jazzy rare groove Brazilian Portuguese rhythm Carnival, with Alternative Rock group, Sublime on their song Open Road and most recently he teamed up with the hot new Columbian group Cyclon and Sergio Sir George who is known for working with Latin vocalist Marc Anthony and the late great Celia Cruz, on the Urban Viallenato (Tropical fused) song Estoy Pegao. One of NOTCH's soon to be released song Wepa was aired on NBC's hit TV shows Third Watch and ER and he also participated in a charity project from which the proceeds went to victims of September 11th, collaborating with an all star Reggae Cast on the song Pray for Love.
With his long a waited solo album, NOTCH aspired to draw us closer to him as a multi-dimensional vocalist, taking us on a musical voyage through the limitless universe of music and connecting his fans worldwide with music they can associate with cultural lifestyles.
Offering his works of art to the world, and not committed to any one genre, Notch is definitely NOT CHur average singer and is the answer that mainstream America seeks when it looks to targeting this new multi-cultural generation; NOTCH says it best I am an artist that is committed to become one of the many musical bridges, connecting cultures of the world together through my musical fusion that is derived from my diverse and mixed up cultural backgrounds.