Nicky Jam: Highs And Lows Of The Reggaeton Star's Life

The following article mentions substance abuse.

Nicky Jam had a long career in show business that began back in 1994 when he was just 14 years old. The Lawrence, Massachusetts native, whose real name is Nick Rivera Caminero, had recorded his debut album in Spanish that year, shortly after moving to Puerto Rico. Yet it was teaming up with Latin music star Daddy Yankee a few years later that really launched Jam into fame since they formed the rap duo "Los Cangris." However, by 2004, they had a falling out, and Jam went on to take a years-long hiatus from music.

Jam eventually reinvigorated his career in Colombia, and by 2014 began putting out hit songs again like "Travesuras." He later made the transition into acting, too, appearing in films like "Bad Boys For Life." Jam also opened a restaurant in Miami and released a Netflix docu-series about his life, making it clear he'd come a long way from his start as a teen rapper. In 2022, he told Billboard, "My legacy is my story, where I came from, and the sacrifices I went through to be where I am today."

Jam certainly did go through a lot in his life, like dealing with drug addiction and a public feud with Daddy Yankee. He appears to be in a good place now though, dishing, "I was at the bottom of the bottom, and look at me now. I've reached the highest point of my career." So how did Jam get to this point? Let's break down the reggaeton star's life.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

You could say that Nicky Jam was born to be a musician since he began rapping at a very young age. He revealed to Dolce, "I started rapping when I was eight years old. It was in English; I was doing freestyle. It made me feel like I was special." Jam continued to rap throughout middle school, telling Billboard that's when he gave himself the stage name Nick MC. It was a neighborhood drinker who apparently later came up with the name Nicky Jam as a compliment. Jam dished, "The funny thing was, it was a catchy name: Nicky Jam, Nicky Jam. So I stuck with it."

Yet it was Jam's skill, not name, that got him discovered when he was working at the Pueblo Xtra discount grocery store. He recalled to NBC News, "I was 12 years old, and I was packing groceries at a supermarket, and I used to freestyle every time I packed the groceries." Jam reiterated that to Billboard but explained, "I'd be like: 'You say please, I'll pack the lettuce with the cheese' — in Spanish, though."

It just so happened that a woman who was married to an executive at an independent record label had heard him rap one day at the store and liked what she heard. "I packed for her, and she talked to my father, and the next day, they signed me," he said. From there, Jam got the opportunity to make music with that indie label.

It's safe to say that Daddy Yankee had a big role in Nicky Jam's career since he helped him reach new levels of stardom. According to Billboard, Jam's relationship with Yankee began when he used to be the opening act for him and other singers at clubs when Jam was just a teen. He revealed, "I used to open for these big singers — they were 20, 25 years old, and I was a kid with a Mickey Mouse voice ... I was like the little brother." Yet it was Yankee specifically who Jam looked up to, so Jam introduced himself to his idol. Soon after, Yankee asked Jam to be his "hypeman," and from there, they began collaborating on music, even forming the rap group "Los Cangris."

When it came to his start with Yankee, Jam recalled on Revolt TV's "Drink Champs," "Caserios is like the projects in Puerto Rico ... Those were the stages for us. That was our stage. We didn't have no show." They eventually did have shows, though, since working together had skyrocketed them both into fame, thanks to songs like "En la Cama."

However, it seems fame became overwhelming for Jam, who then used drugs to cope. He explained, "I was making too much money. I was too young. I didn't know how to deal." That, in turn, hurt his relationship with Yankee, who told Billboard in another interview, "I would fight with him so he wouldn't go down the wrong road."

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Nicky Jam's addiction and subsequent fallout with Daddy Yankee led to a major career low which began when Yankee called him out for his drug use in a song."Yankee felt like he was like my father. I took it too seriously," Jam told Billboard. In response to that, Jam then made a diss track about Yankee, which totally backfired. He admitted, "That wasn't a good choice because he came with 'Gasolina.' [I] looked stupid. He went his way, I went my way — and ­obviously my way didn't go very well."

Jam's way led him into a deep depression since he continued to use drugs and his weight blew up to 300lbs. He eventually resorted to taking a job as a hotel lounge singer, despite not wanting to be recognized. Jam's family friend Giovanni Ortega recalled his friend's suffering in another interview with Billboard, saying, "He always wore these big, dark glasses, just to hide behind." He added, "I saw these three dudes come up to him, like, 'Yo, Nicky, what happened to you? You a loser, bro'... I think he teared up."

It seems Jam knew that the only person he could blame for his failure was himself. "You get what you give. I gave bad energy, a bad mentality, I was stupid, and I paid for that," he dished on Revolt TV's "Drink Champs." He continued, "Look at all the sh*t I went through ... jail, drugs, embarrassments, my music wasn't popping. I wasn't doing anything."

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Nicky Jam has been open about his difficult upbringing because of his parents' struggles with drugs. He even revealed on "The Breakfast Club" that his dad had basically raised him alone, saying, "My mom was a drug addict, and she couldn't take care of me." As Jam got older, he eventually lost touch with his mother altogether. "I almost didn't see my mom for almost 20 years, and my dad was a fugitive, so he was scared of contacting my mom because my mom was a drug addict," he told E! News.

Jam went on to explain that his mother had gotten deported to the Dominican Republic and that he was finally able to reconnect with her when he had a concert there in 2015. He recalled, "It was like a movie moment. My bodyguard was like, 'There's this woman outside. She's fighting with everybody saying she's your mom' ... When I go outside ... automatically, I knew it was her because I remembered her voice." Since that moment, the two have continued to rebuild a relationship. "It was something I was waiting for my whole life. I wanted to be famous to find my mother," Jam said.

It appears Jam is in a good place with his father, too, since in 2022, he presented Jam with an award for entering the Billboard Hall of Fame. While Jam admitted he was surprised to see his father onstage, he gushed, per Yahoo, "Dad, you look beautiful. Thank you to Billboard ... for bringing my dad."

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Nicky Jam's love life may be a bit complicated, but if one thing's for sure, the man sure does love models, having had quite a few romances with them. Perhaps his most serious relationship was with model Angelica Cruz though, considering that they actually got married in 2017. According to People, the two had met online after Jam sent Cruz a DM and tied the knot two years later. Jam even gushed, "She made me feel something I had never felt." However, after 18 months of marriage, they ended up divorcing.

Jam was ready to try marriage again by February 2020 since, according to E! News, he proposed to model Cydney Moreau then, about a year after meeting her on a music video set. He wrote in a now-deleted Instagram post, "I hope we last until we're old." That didn't end up happening because by 2021, he was single again, revealing, "The situation of the pandemic, of quarantine, affected the situation a bit, and the truth is it just didn't work out" (via People).

Yet, Jam moved on, and by September 2021, he was dating model Aleska Genesis. While that relationship ended by April 2022, People reported that they were seen hanging out in Miami that July before E! News reported that he admitted in an October interview that he still loved her. However, that doesn't mean they got back together since the father-of-four also confessed on Instagram that he rather have "friends with benefits" than a girlfriend.

It appears Nicky Jam has goals outside of the entertainment industry, like being a business mogul. That's because, in 2022, he told Billboard that he plans to open restaurants, nightclubs, and even hotels. It seems he's on his way to that since he already has his own eatery in Miami called La Industria Bakery & Cafe. "Nicky Jam's brand is not only music," he explained. Jam shared the news of his restaurant with fans back in March 2021, writing in his Instagram Stories, per Miami New Times, "It's going to be an incredible thing. There are going to be all the pancakes you can imagine ... It's going to be crazy."

From the looks of the restaurant's Instagram, Jam wasn't lying because La Industria Bakery & Cafe does offer a variety of dazzling pancakes, like strawberry cheesecake pancakes and Nutella fruit pancakes, among other gram-worthy and delicious looking brunch options. The food must actually taste good, too, considering that Billboard reports they're set to expand in Puerto Rico, Orlando, and Medellín, Colombia.

For Jam, owning a business is more than just about the money or expanding his brand — it's about inspiring others. He dished, "I'm doing restaurants and hotels, not only to be connected with my fans but to hopefully motivate them. I want to lead people on the right path." It's clear that despite Jam once going down a bumpy road, he himself is now on the right path and is set on helping others along the way.