Jhay Cortez

Biography

Jhay Cortez, full name Jesus Manuel Nieves Cortez, is a Puerto Rican singer known for his blend of hip-hop, R&B, reggaeton, and Latin trap. Born April 9, 1993, in Puerto Rico, the 28-year-old musician first stepped into the public eye as a member of the Latin pop group Stereo 4.

We’ve got all of the facts about this Latin star right here.

instruments played

Vocals

Also Known As

Jhayco

Associated Acts

J Balvin
Bad Bunny
Natti Natasha
Ozuna
Zion & Lennox
Anuel AA

Genres

Reggaeton
R&B
Latin trap

Labels

Universal Music Latin

Occupations

Singer

Years Active

2013 - present

Wiki Link

Jhay Cortez Started Out as a Songwriter

Jhay kicked off his musical career at just 11 years old when he began writing songs for fun. He caught the eye of Puerto Rican producer Eddie Dee and began composing songs for Latin artists shortly after. His early songwriting credits include songs by Zion & Lennox, as well as Tito El Bambino. Jhay’s songwriting skills helped win the latter artist a Latin Grammy for Best Tropical Album in 2011.

Joining Stereo 4

In 2013, Jhay became a member of Stereo 4 alongside Jafet Cortez, Ruben Chinea, and Eduardo Esteras. Cortez was active with the group until 2016, when he recorded “Te Quiero Ver,” his final song with them. After that, Jhay launched his career as a solo artist.

Signed to a Major Label

Cortez got signed to Universal Music Latin in 2017. Once signed, he collaborated with producer HAZE on his debut solo single, “Donde No Se Vea.” The track features Jory Boy and Pusho, and it was later featured on Jhay’s debut album, Eyez on Me. Eyez on Me was released in 2018, and it features collaborations with J Balvin, Miky Woodz, Bryant Myers, Myke Towers, Darell, and others. That same year, Jhay collaborated with Ozuna and Natti Natasha on the song “Criminal,” as well as with Yandel on “Mi Religion.”

Famouz

Jhay’s next release was “No Me Conoce,” a track that made it onto the US Billboard Hot 100. The song became Cortez’s biggest hit yet, and its accompanying music video went on to rack up over a billion views on YouTube. A remix of the track featuring J Balvin and Bad Bunny became the most popular version of the song internationally, and it made Jhay Cortez a household name. After the success of “No Me Conoce,” Jhay collaborated with Latin singer Carol G on the single “Deseame Suerte,” a track that was later featured on Famouz, his second album. The record was released on May 24, 2019, via Universal Latin, and it made it to number 164 on the US 200 charts. Famouz was later re-released as Famouz Reloaded, a version of the album that features new remixes and collaborations that weren’t included on the original tracklist. This version of the album includes the smash-hit remix of “No Me Conoce” featuring J Balvin and Bad Bunny, as well as songs with Zion & Lennox, Wisin & Yandel, Ozuna, and more.

Timelezz

Cortez’s most recent album is Timelezz, which came out in 2021. The record features collaborations with Skrillex, Arcangel, Myke Towers, Kendo Kaponi, and others, and it’s been Jhay’s most successful work to date.

What Are Jhay’s Most Successful Tracks?

Jhay Cortez currently has over 27 million monthly listeners on Spotify, which makes him the 85th most popular artist on the platform. His songs have over 6 billion cumulative streams, and a large portion of those streams are from the remix of “No Me Conoce” – that track has nearly 800 million plays on Spotify alone. Cortez’s current most popular track on Spotify is “911 – Remix,” a track by Sech. That song has over 130 million streams despite being released this year. Another track that has been blowing up recently in Cortez’s discography is “Ley Seca,” a song from his most recent album, Timelezz. Quickly closing in on 100 million streams, the song features Anuel AA and is the 4th song on the album. The most-played song that Jhay is featured on is “DAKITI” by Bad Bunny, a song from the 2020 record El Ultimo Tour Del Mundo. That song has over a billion plays, making it one of the most played songs on Spotify.

The Jhay Cortez/Bryant Myers Beef Explained

In 2020, Jhay got into a social media battle with his former collaborator Bryant Myers, another popular trap artist. The two started fighting after Myers tweeted, “Brag when you make a trap that’s more popular than ‘Gan-ga’ and ‘Wow.’ On the contrary, I’m the Father of Trap.” This tweet incensed Cortez, who shot back, “He copies my swag and he challenges me?” This beef kept going, with the two artists comparing stream counts and YouTube video views, duking it out online until Cortez released a Myers diss track called “24 Horas.” The song roasted Myers, calling him unoriginal and saying, “Who am I fighting with here? With you or the one who writes for you? Myers and Cortez eventually made up, but not before Cortez released a second diss track called “Game Over.”