Nicky Jam: Reggaeton at its Best
For those not familiar with Reggaeton, it originates from the initial Latin American recordings made in Panama in the 70s. It has strong roots in Jamaican music, which arose in the 20th century when Jamaican workers were recruited to help build the Panama Canal. The first Reggaeton stars were El General, Renato, Black Apache; El General in fact is identified as one of the founding fathers of reggaeton. A decade later, in the 80s, a rapper from Puerto Rico, Vico C, released Spanish hip hop music and also mixed reggae with hip hop, releasing tapes throughout the 80s and sparked the momentum for Spanish reggae in the United States.
Nicky Jam, or Nick Rivera Caminero was born February 25, 1980 to mixed parentage. His father was Puerto Rican and his mother from the Dominican Republic. Nicky moved to Puerto Rico at the age of 6. The successful songs he has popularized include “Me Voy Pa’l Party”, “En la Cama”, “Descontrol” and “Vive Contigo.” The 2004 release of “Vida Escante” was made possible by Pina Records.
Nicky Jam has collaborated with artists such as Daddy Yankee, Lito and Polaco, Big Boy and Hector y Tito; his popularity was reinforced by his appearances in many reggaeton albums. He is the only reggaeton artist who holds the record for the highest number of appearances on various artist CDs, surpassing Daddy Yankee who used to hold the title. A misunderstanding ensued between Daddy Yankee and Nicky Jam, although the latest development is that they have made up and will be appearing together on Yankee’s album called “El Cartel 3”. Pina Records, however, denied this. Nicky is on contract with Universal Latin recordings and Pina Records. Although he appeared in concerts with other reggaeton stars, Nicky Jam has yet to perform in Puerto Rico’s Coliseum. His US popularity was boosted by songs like “Loco”, “Yo no Soy Tu Marido” and “Me Voy pal party.”
Nicky Jam’s singles include “Chambonea”, “Vamos A Perriar”, “Tus Ojos”, “Yo Me Acuerdo” and “Yo no Soy Tu Marido.”
Nicky Jam’s fans may have a difficult time looking for more information on the artist, especially on his life, because most of the web sites that feature him talk more about his lyrics, songs and recordings. On the Yahoo! Music web site, for instance, the public can download ring tones, download Jam’s music and watch his videos.