38 Facts About Nicky Jam

1.

Nicky Jam has frequently collaborated with other Latin artists such as Daddy Yankee, J Balvin, Ozuna, Plan B and Anuel AA.

2.

Nicky Jam began recording music at age fourteen with his first EP.

3.

Nicky Jam then moved to Medellin, Colombia, where he rejuvenated his career and developed a more melodic style of music, which proved to be popular through the release of the singles "Voy a Beber" and "Travesuras" in 2014.

4.

Nicky Jam's success was furthered by the 2015 single "El Perdon" and his 2017 album Fenix.

5.

Nicky Jam released the album Intimo in 2019, which was a critical and commercial success.

6.

However, in an interview with Billboard, Nicky Jam explained that his father had become embroiled in a drug-related case and escaped bail, necessitating the move to Puerto Rico.

7.

Nicky Jam initially experienced culture shock upon moving to Puerto Rico, having never spoken Spanish before arriving to the island.

8.

Nicky Jam used Caribbean hip-hop and reggaeton as a way to help him polish his Spanish-language skills.

9.

Nicky Jam subsequently signed a contract without reading it and received no advance money for his recordings.

10.

Nicky Jam endured a difficult breakup with his girlfriend shortly after the album's release and the emotional pain of the experience led him to try cocaine for the first time at age fifteen.

11.

However, Nicky Jam struggled to adjust to his new lifestyle and began using drugs and alcohol to an extent that concerned his musical partner.

12.

Deeply depressed, Nicky Jam gained a significant amount of weight, eventually reaching 300 pounds.

13.

Nicky Jam experienced legal troubles, including a police chase in his car that was in the process of being repossessed.

14.

Nicky Jam took a job in a hotel, performing lounge music for tourists.

15.

In 2007, Nicky Jam moved to Medellin, Colombia in an attempt to stop using drugs and focus on music.

16.

Nicky Jam amended his friendship with Daddy Yankee after encountering him on a flight, where the two apologized to each other, and began touring together at the end of 2014.

17.

Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias contacted Nicky Jam to collaborate on the 2015 song "El Perdon", which later won Nicky Jam his first Latin Grammy for Best Urban Performance.

18.

Nicky Jam was surprised when he received the phone call from Iglesias and initially hung up on him, believing the call to be a prank.

19.

Nicky Jam's increased popularity during this time led Nicky Jam to reunite in 2015 with his mother who had been deported to the Dominican Republic; he had not seen her for more than twenty years.

20.

Nicky Jam performed the song with J Balvin on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon while Jimmy Fallon danced onstage with the two singers.

21.

Nicky Jam starred in the Netflix biographical series Nicky Jam: El Ganador, which explored the artist's struggles with drug addiction and his rise to fame and premiered in November 2018.

22.

In October 2019, Nicky Jam previewed the release of his documentary, Behind Nicky Jam's Intimo, which was produced through Apple Music.

23.

Nicky Jam released the album Intimo on November 1,2019.

24.

Nicky Jam collaborated with Daddy Yankee on the song "Muevelo" which samples Jamaican dancehall artist Ini Kamoze's 1994 hit, "Here Comes the Hotstepper".

25.

Nicky Jam played villain Zway-Lo in the film, which was released on January 17,2020.

26.

In March 2020, Nicky Jam was honored with the annual Career Achievement Award at the Premios Tu Musica Urbano 2020 hosted by Telemundo.

27.

Nicky Jam appeared on Bad Bunny's surprise album Las que no iban a salir, released in May 2020.

28.

Nicky Jam's music has been classified as Latin trap and reggaeton.

29.

Veronica Villafane of Forbes wrote that Nicky Jam is considered "one of the architects of the Latino urban music movement".

30.

Nicky Jam's music has been noted for both eliciting a party atmosphere and embracing overt sentimentality.

31.

Nicky Jam's career began in the mid-1990s, when reggaeton was in its beginning stages in Puerto Rico.

32.

Nicky Jam's lyrics have been described by Billboard as "catchy and flirtatious".

33.

Nicky Jam has expressed admiration for American soul singer Al Green, who he says inspired him to discuss romantic themes in his music.

34.

Nicky Jam became a fan of Mexican rock band Mana in 1992 during the beginning stage of his career and describes the members of the group as his "idols".

35.

Nicky Jam has four children, born in 2002,2002,2005, and 2012.

36.

Nicky Jam married his girlfriend of two years, Angelica Cruz, in a private Catholic ceremony in Medellin in February 2017.

37.

On Valentine's Day 2020, Nicky Jam became engaged to model Cydney Moreau.

38.

Nicky Jam dated Livia Rici, Nati Torres, and Paulina Cruz.