Nicky Jam
Personal details
  • Official sites :

    http://nickyjampr.net

  • Born:
    • Birthday: 1981-03-17
    • Born Place: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
  • Also Known As:

    Nick Rivera Caminero

Nicky Jam

Born Nick Rivera Caminero on March 17, 1981, in Lawrence, Massachusetts, Nicky Jam is a pioneering reggaeton singer and songwriter whose career is defined by a dramatic rise, a fall into obscurity, and a legendary comeback. Raised by a Dominican mother and a Puerto Rican father, he moved to Puerto Rico at age ten, where he initially struggled with a language barrier but eventually used reggaeton as a tool to master Spanish. His talent was discovered at age eleven while he was rapping in a grocery store where he worked as a bagger, leading to his first album, Distinto a los demás (1995). In the late 1990s, he formed the iconic duo Los Cangris with Daddy Yankee, producing early genre hits like "En la Cama" and "Guayando." However, the duo split acrimoniously in 2004 as Nicky Jam’s life spiraled into substance abuse, depression, and significant weight gain, causing his career to stall for nearly a decade. Seeking a fresh start, Nicky Jam moved to Medellín, Colombia, in 2007, a move he credits with saving his life and career. He underwent a physical and professional transformation, losing over 100 pounds and developing a more melodic, romantic reggaeton style inspired by Colombian vallenato. His resurgence peaked in 2015 with the global smash hit "El Perdón" alongside Enrique Iglesias, which spent 30 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart and earned him his first Latin Grammy. This was followed by his massively successful 2017 album Fénix, featuring hits like "Hasta el Amanecer" and "El Amante," and the 2018 FIFA World Cup anthem "Live It Up" with Will Smith. Beyond music, he has expanded into acting, appearing in xXx: Return of Xander Cage and the Bad Boys for Life franchise, and even starred in a Netflix biographical series about his life titled Nicky Jam: El Ganador. As of late 2025, Nicky Jam remains a titan in the Latin music industry with a net worth estimated between $25 million and $65 million. He continues to be a high-profile figure in popular culture, recently appearing in the Netflix reality series Owning Manhattan and maintaining a massive social media presence with over 43 million followers. While he briefly made headlines in 2024 for his political endorsements and subsequent retractions related to his Puerto Rican heritage, his legacy remains firmly rooted in his status as a "Phoenix" of the urban genre. Today, he is celebrated not only for his musical contributions but for his transparency regarding his struggles with addiction and his role in bringing reggaeton to a global audience.

Person History