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Nicky Jam

Nicky Jam

ALL ARTIST INFO IS PULLED FROM PUBLICLY AVAILABLE DATA.
IF YOU REPRESENT THIS ARTIST AND WOULD LIKE TO VERIFY YOUR PAGE OR UPDATE THE INFO, Click Here
birthday
17th
March, 1981
Birth Sign
pisces
Biography

Nicky Jam is Nick Rivera Caminero, an American singer, songwriter, and rapper from Lawrence, Massachusetts. He’s known for his blend of the genres of reggaeton and Latin trap, as well as for collaborations with the likes of Ozuna, Era Istrefi, Farruko, Will Smith, and dozens of others. 

He has had several major radio hits throughout his career, including “X,” “En la Cama,” “Te Busco,” and many others. The singer’s trademark style is often compared to that of Maluma, featuring melodic hooks and romantic lyrics. 

Here, you’ll find all the facts you need to know about Nicky Jam’s life and music. 

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instruments played
Vocals
Associated Acts

Daddy Yankee
Magnate & Valentino
Enrique Iglesias
Plan B
ManA
Ozuna
HActor & Tito
Lito & Polaco
R.K.M & Ken-Y
Romeo Santos

Genres

Reggaeton
Latin trap

Labels

Industria Inc.
Sony Latin
RCA

Occupations

Singer
rapper
songwriter
actor

Website

www.iamnickyjam.com

Years Active

1995 - present

Wiki Link

Facts About Nicky Jam’s Early Life 

Nick was born on March 17, 1981. His mother is from the Dominican Republic, and he has a Puerto Rican father. Growing up, Nick loved listening to old-school rap by the likes of LL Cool J and Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. When Nick was ten, he and his mom and dad relocated to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where his father is from. However, Nick later learned that the move was motivated by his father’s legal troubles in the US.  Nick Caminero initially had trouble adjusting to life in Puerto Rico. However, he started taking music seriously in an effort to deal with the struggles in his life. He released his first EP, Distinto a Los Demas, at just 14 years old with the help of an indie label and gained popularity regularly quickly.  Some of Nick’s earliest rapping took place at work. He was a bagger at a grocery store when he was eleven, and he would kill time by rapping as he bagged groceries. The label that helped him release his debut EP picked him up after a customer who worked for the label heard Nick rap. After undergoing a rough breakup, Nick got involved with drugs for the first time. His struggles with drug addiction and alcohol continued throughout the early stages of his musical career. The rapper took on the name Nicky Jam after a homeless man in San Juan assigned the moniker to him at random.

Career Beginnings 

After working hard on music in Puerto Rico, Nicky Jam was introduced to Daddy Yankee, an artist he’d grown up admiring. Daddy Yankee was already familiar with Nicky Jam and described the younger artist as having a “Mickey Mouse” singing voice. He went on to say that he was impressed with Nicky’s style, and the two formed the duo Los Cangris in the late 1990s. They’re known for hits like “Guayando” and “En la Cama.” While recording and releasing music with Daddy Yankee, Nicky Jam started laying the foundations of a successful solo career. He released his debut studio album, Haciendo escante, in December 2001, followed by another, Vida escante, in November 2004. 

The Group Los Cangris Breaks Up

In the early stages of his career, Nicky Jam continued to struggle with drugs and alcohol, and his addictions concerned his mentor, Daddy Yankee. The latter was concerned about his mentee’s decisions and criticized his lifestyle with his lyrics. The clearest example of Daddy Yankee’s criticism was in the song “Santifica Tus Escapularios,” where Yankee sings, “Your Courage Depends on a Pill.” This lyric and others like it made Nicky Jam defensive. In response, he released a Daddy Yankee diss track. However, Nicky looked back regretfully on the song, telling Billboard, “That wasn’t a good choice.” Los Cangris ended up breaking up due to the tension between Daddy Yankee and Nicky Jam. The latter took a job singing lounge music at a hotel, and he went through what he’s described as the lowest point in his career. 

Making a Comeback

In the mid-late 2000s, Nicky Jam relocated to Medellin, Colombia, and decided to get clean. He quit drugs, quit alcohol, and lost a significant amount of weight. He said that the welcoming music scene he found there gave him the boost he needed to become a better person and musician. Meanwhile, he also made up with Daddy Yankee, and the two have toured together since. After disappearing from the public eye for several years, Nicky made a major comeback with hits like “Voy a Beber” and “Travesuras.” He collaborated with Enrique Iglesias on the hit track “El Perdón,” for which he won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Urban Performance.  Nicky released his first album in several years, The Black Carpet, on December 11, 2007, to commercial and critical acclaim.  Later in his career, Nicky Jam scored another hit with “Hasta el Amanecer,” which won him the Urban Song of the Year award, the Billboard Music Award for Top Latin Song, and several other accolades.

Fénix and Other Recent Projects

In 2016, Nicky released a remix of the 1992 track “De Pies a Cabeza” by notable Mexican rock band Mana. That same year, his music video for “Hasta el Amanecer” hit a billion views on YouTube. In 2017, Nicky released Fénix, an album that was nominated for several Latin Grammys, including Album of the year. Fénix features several Latin music superstars, including El Alfa and J Balvin, and it’s one of Nicky’s most successful records to date. Released on January 20, 2017, Fénix was distributed by Industria Inc. and two major labels – RCA and Sony Latin. This album features collabs from artists like Sean Paul, Wisin of Wisin and Yandel, and J Balvin. He’s also released tracks, like “Jaleo” with Steve Aoki and more.  In November 2019, Nicky released his fifth studio album, Intimo, via Sony Latin. The record features several hit singles, including “X” and “Te Robare.” In 2021, he also released Infinity, and he announced in August 2021 that he will hopefully begin touring major cities in early 2022.  In recent years, Nicky has also made several forays into acting, appearing in XXX: The Return of Xander Cage and Bad Boys for Life. In October 2019, he started promoting Behind Nicky Jam’s Intimo, his first documentary.

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