(Exclusive) Nicky Jam Opens Up For The First Time: Fame & Wealth Made Me Relapse!

Nicky Jam on trauma, relapse, and refusing the “role model” box

1. A.Nicky Jam recounts being discovered as a child while illegally packing groceries and freestyling, leading to an early record deal that didn’t succeed but helped build recognition through mixtapes.
2. B.He describes severe childhood instability—his mother’s absence, sex work, drug use around the home, and public humiliation at school—and says those experiences created lasting trauma he still revisits.
3. C.He shares for the first time on a show that he has struggled with alcohol over the past year, feeling judged when seen drinking or smoking weed, and explains that drinking influenced him to publicly claim he was retiring even though he says he will never retire.
4. D.He explains how early normalization of drugs in his family and neighborhood, plus abandonment and heartbreak, escalated into heavy substance use, followed by periods of sobriety and later relapse triggers tied to loneliness and lifestyle.
5. E.He credits moving to Colombia during his lowest period for reigniting his career and self-belief, and says his new album "Insomnia" is an artistic expression of the nightlife, anxiety, and partying themes he’s lived through recently.