Nicky Jam
Nicky Jam | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Nick Rivera Caminero |
Born | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. | March 17, 1981
Genres | Reggaeton |
Occupation(s) |
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Instrument | Vocals |
Years active | 1994–present |
Labels |
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Website | nickyjampr |
Nick Rivera Caminero (born March 17, 1981),[1] known by the stage name Nicky Jam, is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known for hits such as "Travesuras", "Te Busco" (with Cosculluela), "El Perdón", "Hasta el Amanecer", and "El Amante", the latter three from his album Fénix.
Early life
Rivera was born in Boston, Massachusetts to a Dominican mother and a Puerto Rican father, they moved to Barrio Obrero in Puerto Rico when he was ten years old.[1] He has been in reggaeton since his youth. The name "Nicky Jam" was jokingly given to Rivera by a homeless man. Rivera's family was low-income, and as a minor, he performed illegal work in a grocery store in order to help support them, improvising while bagging groceries. One day, a music executive noticed his talent and signed him, and at the age of fourteen, he recorded his first album, ...Distinto A Los Demás. The album was not successful, but it did gain him recognition in the music industry and warranted the attention of some music producers such as DJ Joe, DJ Playero, and DJ Chiklin.[2]
Musical career
Los Cangris
After his first album, he continued working in the music industry, where he met Daddy Yankee when they were recording with Guatauba and DJ Playero. Daddy Yankee asked Rivera to work with him. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, they became friends and formed the unofficial Daddy Yankee and Nicky Jam duo, also known as Los Cangris. They created many commercially successful singles including "Sabanas Blancas", "Guayando", "Sentirte" and many others. They also worked together on the album "Los Super Amigos" in 2000, which was never released.[3] In 2001, Daddy Yankee released El Cartel II: Los Cangris, which Rivera took a small part in.[4] Due to personal issues, they ended their friendship in 2004 and stopped working together. Rivera continued working as a solo artist and created many commercially successful singles.[2] In 2012, after many years of staying apart, they both recorded "El Party Me Llama" from the album Prestige and confirmed they had both settled their disagreements from years prior.[5]
Solo career
Rivera released Haciendo Escante in 2001, and in 2004 released Vida Escante. He and Daddy Yankee separated again due to many arguments and conflicts between them realizing that their friendship was turning into a fierce rivalry. His most recent studio album is The Black Carpet, released in 2007. Rivera has also worked with R.K.M & Ken-Y, Héctor & Tito (Hector el Father and Tito El Bambino), Lito & Polaco, Big Boy, and Magnate & Valentino
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Live_It_Up_at_the_close_of_the_2018_World_Cup_Russia.jpg/220px-Live_It_Up_at_the_close_of_the_2018_World_Cup_Russia.jpg)
In the late 2000s he moved to Medellin, Colombia. In 2010, after performing a few concerts there, he restarted his career releasing successful singles "Tu Primera Vez", "Piensas en Mi", "Curiosidad", "Juegos Prohibidos" and, most notably, "Voy A Beber". He also worked with Daddy Yankee again, after eight years of not working together, on the album Prestige by Daddy Yankee. Nicky Jam has appeared in many reggaeton albums, currently holding the record for most appearances on various artist albums, which was formerly held by Daddy Yankee. His most recent album appearance is with Daddy Yankee's album Prestige, with the track "El Party Me Llama". In 2015, Nicky Jam won a Latin Grammy Award for Best Urban Performance.[6] "Hasta el Amanecer" was released on January 15, 2016 on the U.S. radio stations. Billboard called the song a "sultry, sexy reggaetón track" that contains the singer's "trademark catchy melodic hooks. Still a hopeless romantic, here Jam pains after a girl he met at the laundromat, and let go, without even finding out her name." The music video has been viewed over 1 billion times on YouTube.
Rivera performed the official song "Live It Up" alongside American rapper Will Smith and Kosovar singer Era Istrefi at the closing ceremony of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Moscow, Russia.[7]
Discography
- ...Distinto A Los Demás (1994)
- Haciendo Escante (2001)
- Salón de La Fama (2003)
- Vida Escante (2004)
- Vida Escante: Special Edition (2005)
- The Black Carpet (2007)
- Fenix (2017)
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2017 | xXx: Return of Xander Cage | Lazarus | Film |
2017 | All I Want for Christmas Is You | Himself | Film |
Awards and nominations
References
- ^ a b Birchmeier, Jason. "Nicky Jam - Biography". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
- ^ a b http://nickyjampr.net/biografia
- ^ "Los Cangris, Inc". Wayback Machine. 2002-10-10. Archived from the original on 2002-10-10. Retrieved 2015-11-21.
{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ "Carátula Trasera de Daddy Yankee - El Cartel Ii: Los Cangris - Portada". Coveralia. Retrieved 2016-09-15.
- ^ "DY Hablando de el junte con Nicky Jam (El Party Me Llama / Prestige) - YouTube". YouTube. 2012-09-08. Retrieved 2015-11-21.
- ^ Cobo, Leila (November 20, 2015). "Latin Grammys: Natalia LaFourcade & Juan Luis Guerra Win Big; Mana & Los Tigres Get Political". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
- ^ "Nicky Jam, Will Smith will sing this year's official FIFA 2018 World Cup song". May 23, 2018.