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

Nicky Jam 0:00 I've never opened up in, in any of these shows about this. I don't wanna be boxed as this [censored] role model just 'cause people wanna see me as a role model. I'm a human being. With more than three decades of hit records, awards to prove it, please welcome-

Jay Shetty 0:13 Nicky, Nicky, Nicky Jam, everybody.

Nicky Jam 0:15 Yeah. [clapping] [cheering]

Jay Shetty 0:16 What age did you get to where you were like, "Oh, that's not normal"?

Nicky Jam 0:20 You're going really deep. My mom not being there made me not care about living. Now I'ma tell you this though, I forgive but I never forget.

Jay Shetty 0:30 We're thrilled to announce that we've reached three million subscribers. We're incredibly grateful for each and every one of you. If you enjoy this episode, don't forget to hit that subscribe button so you never miss out on any of our new releases. We're dedicated to bringing you the content you love. Our team carefully analyzes what resonates most with you to bring on board the best experts and storytellers to help you improve your life. Some of your favorite topics are sleep science, weight loss, physical fitness, navigating breakups, habit building, and understanding toxic relationships. Upcoming episodes include one of the biggest names in health and science, world-renowned relationship therapist, and your favorite manifestation expert is back to drop new findings. Hit Subscribe to not miss any of these episodes. If you think of someone who would love this episode, send it to them to make their day.

Speaker 1:24 The number one health and wellness podcast.

Nicky Jam 1:27 Jay Shetty.

Speaker 1:28 Jay Shetty.

Nicky Jam 1:29 The one, the only Jay Shetty.

Speaker 1:31 [laughs]

Jay Shetty 1:33 What would you say is your earliest childhood memory that has defined who you are today?

Nicky Jam 1:39 Packing groceries, uh, at the supermarket and, uh, freestyling while I was doing it. That's the way I was discovered. Uh, I, I would always go there 'cause, uh, I would make $20, by quarters, 'cause they would give me always quarters every time I packed groceries. Uh, and I'd make $20. With that I would buy ham, cheese, uh, milk, cigarettes for my dad, and stuff like that, and I would go every day. I would walk probably, like, 30 minutes to go there and, uh, that's me, you know? Always try, trying to, like, take care of my family, uh, but at the same time having fun while I do it. You know, rapping and doing music, and making people laugh, and making people having fun. That's Nicky, you know? That's, that's, that's the Nicky I always have in my mind. Even when I was in those dark moments, that's what went through my head in those moments.

Jay Shetty 2:26 That's amazing. So you're packing groceries, that's your job, and you're freestyling to the customers, groceries that you're packing.

Nicky Jam 2:32 It wasn't really my job. I was, I was, uh, 12 years old and it was illegal for me to, uh, work there.

Jay Shetty 2:36 Oh.

Nicky Jam 2:36 But the guy, the manager from the supermarket, he would let me do it k- 'cause he knew I was trying to make some money. So every now and then he would be like, "Okay, Nicky, you gotta go 'cause, you know, the supervisors are here," or whatever. But I would like, you know, I would, I would, I would pack groceries. I would freestyle, like, you know, the lettuce and tomatoes, and then, like, I would fr- I, I would rap, rhyme the food that I was packing. I became like a little celebrity there, and people were like, "Yo, there's this kid and he be rapping while he's packing groceries," and everybody wanted to see me over there in Puerto Rico at the supermarket in Bayamón. This lady came to me once and I was ... I didn't, I, I, I wasn't in a rapping mood. I was just, you know, packing groceries. It was a bad day or whatever, and she looks at me and she's like, "So you're not gonna rap for me?" And I'm like, "Yeah." So I rap and I started freestyling, and she was like, she was shocked 'cause I was so ... I was a kid. I was, like, 11 years old. And she was like, "Can you come with me?" I'm like, "No. [laughs] I don't know you." And she was like ... I'm like, "Why should I, you know, go with you?" And she's like, "My, my husband, he's a producer for this record label and I want him to hear you." And I'm like, "Okay. In that case, yes, let's go." So I got in the car with her. She took me to, uh, her husband, and, uh, I started rapping for him. And, um, next day he was in my house with a big-ass contract like this. I told my dad, it's like, "I don't even know what it says." I'm like, "I don't care what it says. Just sign it."

Jay Shetty 3:55 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 3:55 You know what I'm saying? I, I wanna, I wanna get my first deal. And that's how I got my first deal, you know, working at that supermarket. Uh, the album was wack.

Jay Shetty 4:03 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 4:03 It was horrible. I mean, how creative can you be when you're 12 years old? I had to write all the lyrics myself, and I wasn't, I wasn't really good writing in that moment. I was more a freestyler, you know?

Jay Shetty 4:13 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 4:14 Um, but I did a album. Uh, it didn't sell anything. Can I curse here?

Jay Shetty 4:19 Yeah, yeah, of course you can.

Nicky Jam 4:20 Okay.

Jay Shetty 4:20 Of course you can.

Nicky Jam 4:21 It didn't sell shit.

Jay Shetty 4:22 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 4:22 So but the good thing about it, um, DJs recognized me, uh, all over Puerto Rico. The famous mixtape, uh, era was coming.

Jay Shetty 4:32 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 4:32 I started, you know, recording in these mixtapes and I became one of the, like, one of the biggest artists in the mixtape industry, you know, included Daddy Yankee, that obviously Daddy Yankee was, like, the, the boss in that moment in, in the mixtape. He, he was already in bo- the boss in those days. I'm talking about 1992-

Jay Shetty 4:49 Mm-hmm

Nicky Jam 4:49 ... '93, '94, those, those years. And, uh, yeah, I mean, from the album, nothing happened with the album but I got to be a little s- I, I got to be a bigger perf- uh, singer and fa- more famous in Puerto Rico 'cause of these, uh, mixtapes.

Jay Shetty 5:04 Yeah. How did you not let ... Like, at such a young age, I can imagine that feeling, like you're getting a record deal, you have no idea what you're signing, but then as you said, the album was wack. How do you deal with the fact that ... Was there any negativity at that time?

Nicky Jam 5:19 Nah.

Jay Shetty 5:19 Like, no one cared?

Nicky Jam 5:20 I was just, I was just happy I had a deal.

Jay Shetty 5:22 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 5:22 See, the thing is in those days the urban music, uh, the reggaeton music was not even something that was happening.

Jay Shetty 5:30 Mm-hmm.

Nicky Jam 5:30 So just for me to have a album and show people that I had a album, for me was big.

Jay Shetty 5:35 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 5:35 I didn't care about, you know, having hits or ... 'Cause I didn't know about that, you know? I, I, I didn't even ... To be honest with you, I didn't even think my album was gonna be a hit. [laughs]

Jay Shetty 5:43 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 5:43 You know, 'cause I knew about the people that was doing big. In those days we had Vico C, Bruje MC, all these rappers that were killing the game in the urban industry in Puerto Rico. So I know I was nothing like them. And to be honest with you, when I got to Puerto Rico my Spanish wasn't really too good, 'cause I was born in, in the States. So when I got to Puerto Rico I had to learn the language. So if you listen to that album Um, you know, closely, you would realize my A- my Spanish-

Jay Shetty 6:14 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 6:14 ... wasn't really that good. So imagine a guy, a, a kid singing, writing when he's 12 years old music. His Spanish is not the best. Obviously, I didn't expect for it to be the best. I was just happy I had a album and I was signed.

Jay Shetty 6:28 Yeah. That, that, that's makes a lot of sense. I'm, I'm just trying to put myself back into that age and thinking how would I have felt if I was you. But one of the things

Jay Shetty 6:37 that I saw, I mean, the docuseries that you had on Netflix was incredible. Like, it was-

Nicky Jam 6:40 Appreciate it

Jay Shetty 6:41 ... super powerful. And I remember when, I think it was like 2018 when it came out, but there was something that was really powerful in that there's the scene where you're ... You have this experience of when you run into watching your mom outside a restaurant having sex in a car.

Nicky Jam 6:54 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 6:55 Like, that moment feels like a defining moment as well-

Nicky Jam 6:58 Yeah

Jay Shetty 6:58 ... in your early life. Walk us through your head space in that moment.

Nicky Jam 7:04 Wow. Well, the reality of everything is that, uh, I lived in a street where girls would, you know, would, uh, work as prostitutes in the corners. And, uh, I would see my mom, you know, in, in, in, uh, in those corners. And when she got into a car, I knew what was going on. So when you're a kid and you see stuff like that, obviously it, it affects you, but at the same time you think it's normal, 'cause you don't know better, you know? You haven't seen a different world. You only see what's going on. The only thing that would probably made me think it's not normal is watching TV and seeing families on TV and stuff like that, but I just thought it was my life. And to be honest with you, the whole street where I was living, kids were living like that.

Jay Shetty 7:55 Mm.

Nicky Jam 7:56 So it was kinda like normal. You know, like ... It was, it was, it was kind of like normal. The reality is it's not normal. Today, I suffer 'cause of situations like that, you know? Even if I, I have success in my life, even if, uh, I'm doing really good and stuff like that, sometimes I go back to those traumas. You know what I'm saying? I go back to those moments that, uh, that affects my ... A lot of people think 'cause I told my story, it's done, and that's a lie. That's not the way it works. You know, you still have it there. You still have it in your head. And even the situation with my mom and everything I went through living in the hood and all the stuff that I saw ... You know, when people come from the war, they, they have PTSD, right? They need to get medication 'cause of that and stuff like that. The reality is when you live in the hood and you see all this stuff, like stuff that I saw with my mom and situations that I saw in my house and stuff that I saw in the hood about friends of mine getting shot and other people that are not my friends getting shot and stuff like that, you get PTSD too. But people don't understand that. So when you get a situa- When you go through, uh, you know, back to the darkness, even if you're successful, people judge you and they like, "Oh, he's back again." You saw my story. You saw what I went through. Why would you, why would you judge me?

Jay Shetty 9:17 Mm.

Nicky Jam 9:17 When I came out with my story, you said, "You deserve everything you have." It's funny, 'cause I always did deserve everything I had, 'cause I worked for what I had. All those moments, especially, like, the moment that you just talked about, you know, my mom, 'cause my mom ... Your mom, as a man, is everything for you.

Jay Shetty 9:34 For sure.

Nicky Jam 9:34 You know, she's the base of the house. She's the one that take care of you. She, you know, she, she makes you think that everything's gonna be okay. Not having that causes an effect in me in every situation, even with my kids. I don't, I don't know how to give the love that I have to give, 'cause I never had it. You know, a lot of people be saying sometimes, uh, "Yeah, I'm gonna give my kids everything I didn't have." That's not the way it works. If you don't know how to do it, how can you do it?

Jay Shetty 10:00 Mm.

Nicky Jam 10:01 It affects me in every way, but, uh, the good thing, I have a good sense of humor.

Jay Shetty 10:06 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 10:06 And, uh, even in bad situations, I, I laugh and I make people laugh. I try to, uh, enjoy myself the best, but, uh, I hope that answer your, your question.

Jay Shetty 10:18 Yeah, it does. No, thank you for being so open as well, and vulnerable, man. I think it's, it's amazing to see that, because you're so right that when you're living

Jay Shetty 10:26 your life it looks normal. What age did you get to where you were like, "Oh, that's not normal"? Like, when, when did it kind of register where you were like, "Oh, wait a minute, that's not what life looks like for everyone"?

Nicky Jam 10:37 Wow. You're going really deep. [laughs] Okay. I could say this.

Jay Shetty 10:43 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 10:43 Um, my mom used to whoop me 'cause I used to pee in my bed, right?

Jay Shetty 10:48 Mm.

Nicky Jam 10:49 I don't know. She probably didn't understand that it was not something that I wanted to do. It just, it happened. I wish-

Jay Shetty 10:55 It's a, it's a normal thing kids do, yeah.

Nicky Jam 10:57 I think when kids pee on their bed, I was, like, probably seven years old, something like that, it's just a problem that they have and automatically it happens. It's not like you wake up and y- It's not like you're like, "Oh, I don't wanna go to the bathroom."

Jay Shetty 11:09 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 11:09 It's more like it's something that happens.

Jay Shetty 11:11 Yeah, yeah.

Nicky Jam 11:11 You wake up and you just peed on your bed. So this, uh, this kid, this white kid, uh, his name is Billy. I wish I could find him wherever he is. Uh, Billy Jannetty is his name. I've been trying to look for him on Google, 'cause he was my best friend when I was a kid, and I can't find him everywhere. Probably had a, a ... His, his name was different, and I knew him as Billy Jannetty. He studied with me in school and everything. I stayed at his house. I stayed at his house. You know, it was ... He was this kid, you know, typical white kid that had everything, you know, Atari, Nintendo, and all that stuff. And his mom had his room decorated with, you know, a boy's room with, you know, posters on the wall and stuff like that. And I stayed at his house, and I peed, I peed on, on the couch where I slept.

Jay Shetty 11:58 Mm.

Nicky Jam 11:58 I woke up frightened, 'cause I thought I was getting my, I, I thought I was getting my ass whooped. And she comes to me and she sees me that I'm up, 'cause I turned on the light.

Jay Shetty 12:07 Billy's mom?

Nicky Jam 12:08 Billy's mom. And, um, she's like, "What happened? You okay?" I'm like I, I'm sorry I, I, I peed on my bed. I peed on the bed. I peed on the couch. And she like, "Oh, it's okay. Don't, don't worry about that. I'll take care of that." And you know, she, she gave me clothes so I could take a shower, and she gave me food, and she took care of the situation. I was shocked. And I was like, oh, so this is how it should be.

Jay Shetty 12:33 Mm.

Nicky Jam 12:34 This is how it should be. It's not, it's not, uh [laughs] it's not getting whooped, you know? And this is how she probably treats Billy. And, uh, that's when I realized that, uh, what was going on in my house wasn't normal.

Jay Shetty 12:52 Mm.

Nicky Jam 12:53 I ... That situation of me, uh, peeing on the bed affected me so much that 'cause of my mom doing drugs and not taking care of what was going on in the house, I would go to school with my clothes smelling like pee. And the teacher, uh, in front of the kids would spray me and ... spray 'cause I would smell bad.

Jay Shetty 13:15 With cologne and shit.

Nicky Jam 13:15 With, uh, with the spray, with the-

Jay Shetty 13:18 Yeah

Nicky Jam 13:19 ... yeah.

Jay Shetty 13:19 Deodorant.

Nicky Jam 13:20 De- yeah. And she would spray me in front of everybody. Obviously, the kids would laugh and, and that affected me as well. Obviously 'cause it, it's embarrassing, you know, like in front of everybody. That's how important it is for the parents to do their job and take care of the kids, you know, 'cause it's just ... You know, it's not, it's not something that, uh, a kid should go through, you know?

Jay Shetty 13:42 Mm. Mm. Why do you wanna reconnect with Billy? What would you ... What, what, what makes you wanna reach out?

Nicky Jam 13:47 Well, he was my best friend when I was a kid.

Jay Shetty 13:49 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 13:50 I just wanna know how he looks like.

Jay Shetty 13:51 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 13:52 I wanna know is he okay. I wanna know if he's alive. I wanna know if he remembers me. I wanna know if he knows that I'm famous. He was my best friend when I was a kid, and, uh, we went through so much, and-

Jay Shetty 14:04 Yeah

Nicky Jam 14:05 ... I wish I could see him again. I mean, I don't know. Would you wanna see a, a, a-

Jay Shetty 14:09 You know what? It's so funny 'cause I have a similar probably ... How old were you when you and Billy were friends?

Nicky Jam 14:14 Uh, probably like, uh, eight, seven years old.

Jay Shetty 14:16 Yeah, yeah. So when I was at primary school, elementary school in, in England, it was ... I had a friend that I recently connected with again 'cause I was talking about him on the show and then he reached out. His name's Ian. And so me and Ian, like he was my best friend in primary school since we were, like four or five years old.

Nicky Jam 14:32 Me too. Me too. Exactly the same.

Jay Shetty 14:34 And then I completely lost touch after 11, after we were 11 years old and we went to different secondary schools, high schools.

Nicky Jam 14:38 How old are you now?

Jay Shetty 14:39 I'm 36 now.

Nicky Jam 14:40 36. Yeah.

Jay Shetty 14:41 And so it's like ... But I haven't seen him again, but we did message a bit, and it was just-

Nicky Jam 14:44 Oh, I've Googled his name-

Jay Shetty 14:45 Yeah. [laughs]

Nicky Jam 14:45 ... 50 other ways, and I just can't find him.

Jay Shetty 14:49 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 14:49 I mean, his name ... I, I know ... I, I wish he could see this show. I mean, his name is Billy Jannetty.

Jay Shetty 14:54 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 14:55 Uh, I know him as Billy Jannetty, and if, if you see this show, please, you know, hit me up on Instagram and DM me, and let me see if I could, uh, at least, uh, meet you again and talk to you again. I would love to.

Jay Shetty 15:07 Yeah. That's beautiful, man. Yeah, no. That, those kind of friendships, uh, are different and, yeah, that nostalgia of being able to look back and see-

Nicky Jam 15:14 Oh my God. I li-

Jay Shetty 15:15 Yeah

Nicky Jam 15:16 ... and I'm very nostalgic.

Jay Shetty 15:17 Yeah?

Nicky Jam 15:17 Like I really ... I, I, I have ... I'm fascinated with the past. And not only with my past. With the past.

Jay Shetty 15:23 Mm.

Nicky Jam 15:23 Like I see movies from the past, and I go crazy.

Jay Shetty 15:27 Mm.

Nicky Jam 15:27 I don't know why I like them so much. Like I like to see how simple life was in the past.

Jay Shetty 15:32 Mm.

Nicky Jam 15:33 I think it's so complicated now with all the this and, you know. Yes, we need it and-

Jay Shetty 15:38 Yeah

Nicky Jam 15:38 ... stuff like that, but I used to like

Nicky Jam 15:40 the way it was, you know?

Jay Shetty 15:41 Would you say your life's become more simple or more complicated?

Nicky Jam 15:44 [sighs] It depends in what terms.

Jay Shetty 15:49 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 15:49 If you're gonna say in terms of temptation-

Jay Shetty 15:53 Mm

Nicky Jam 15:53 ... it's simpler.

Jay Shetty 15:55 Mm.

Nicky Jam 15:56 If you're gonna say in terms of, uh, a better lifestyle, no.

Jay Shetty 16:01 Mm. Even compared to what you grew up with.

Nicky Jam 16:04 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 16:04 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 16:04 I mean, I, I ... You c- My girl's here right now, and she knows that I don't even touch my phone anymore.

Jay Shetty 16:10 Mm.

Nicky Jam 16:11 I don't care about it anymore. I just feel that it's just toxic, you know? And even though we need it, I use it 'cause we need it.

Jay Shetty 16:18 Mm-hmm.

Nicky Jam 16:18 But it doesn't make me happy anymore.

Jay Shetty 16:20 Mm.

Nicky Jam 16:20 I'm one of the first influencers of the Spanish reggaeton ... Not reggaeton. The first influencers there was back in 2014, you know, when Instagram started. I used to do videos everywhere, sit down here, sit down everywhere, show my lifestyle, show the way. I would talk to people from the streets and make people laugh and make jokes and stuff like that. And it came to a moment where record labels wanted to obligate me to do it, and I, it just didn't feel organic.

Jay Shetty 16:47 Mm-hmm.

Nicky Jam 16:47 And when something's not organic, um, it just doesn't feel good. What you're doing right now, you're doing it 'cause you like it. You enjoy it.

Jay Shetty 16:53 Mm-hmm.

Nicky Jam 16:54 But when they tell you you have to do it-

Jay Shetty 16:56 Yeah

Nicky Jam 16:56 ... it's different.

Jay Shetty 16:57 Yeah. It is different.

Nicky Jam 16:58 You know?

Jay Shetty 16:58 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 16:58 It's different. You doing this 'cause you like it.

Jay Shetty 17:00 Mm.

Nicky Jam 17:00 I could see you enjoying your job. That's nice. That's badass.

Jay Shetty 17:03 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 17:03 But when y- when they like, "We need you to do content," because they like Nicky Jam being an influence. I'm like, "No, I'm not an influence. I'm a singer."

Jay Shetty 17:10 Yeah. [laughs]

Nicky Jam 17:10 "I do music," and I started influencing-

Jay Shetty 17:13 Yeah

Nicky Jam 17:13 ... people by Instagram, but do not obligate me to do something 'cause automatically it's not ... Anything that's obligated, it's not organic.

Jay Shetty 17:20 Mm-hmm.

Nicky Jam 17:20 And what's not organic doesn't look cool.

Jay Shetty 17:23 Yeah. [laughs]

Nicky Jam 17:23 You know?

Jay Shetty 17:23 Yeah, yeah. It doesn't work.

Nicky Jam 17:25 It doesn't work, 100%.

Jay Shetty 17:25 It doesn't work. And I think we're living at a special time right now where you can own your own media, and you can ... Like you said with this show, like we can make it as long or as short as we like. We can-

Nicky Jam 17:35 Yeah, yeah, yeah

Jay Shetty 17:36 ... sit down with whoever we want and find interesting.

Nicky Jam 17:38 The thing is-

Jay Shetty 17:38 Like yeah

Nicky Jam 17:38 ... record labels, when I turn on a live or I do something, they see how my everything goes up, numbers. [imitates numbers rising] And then they're like, "Yo, we need you to do this." I don't wanna do nothing you need.

Jay Shetty 17:55 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 17:56 I wanna do something I need.

Jay Shetty 17:58 Mm-hmm.

Nicky Jam 17:58 I wanna do something I like. I wanna do something I enjoy.

Jay Shetty 18:02 Mm-hmm.

Nicky Jam 18:03 If, uh, you tell me, "You have to sing," I don't wanna sing. If you tell me, "Can you please sing?" I'll probably think about it.

Jay Shetty 18:11 Mm.

Nicky Jam 18:12 But there's nothing better than singing when you want to sing.

Jay Shetty 18:14 Mm-hmm.

Nicky Jam 18:15 You know, when you want to do something, you enjoy it more.

Jay Shetty 18:18 Mm.

Nicky Jam 18:18 And that's just the way I am.

Jay Shetty 18:20 Mm.

Nicky Jam 18:20 Even in a relationship If my girl tells me, "Go get me a cup of water," I'm like, "Hell no." If she tell me, "Baby, can I get a cup of water?" I get her 150 cups of water, and I'll rub her feet while she drinking it.

Jay Shetty 18:32 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 18:33 'Cause that's just the way I am.

Jay Shetty 18:34 Mm.

Nicky Jam 18:35 You know what I'm saying?

Jay Shetty 18:36 Mm-hmm.

Nicky Jam 18:36 That's just, that's the way I am. I, I, I don't, I, I don't run by command.

Jay Shetty 18:39 Mm.

Nicky Jam 18:40 I've never been that type of guy, and that's why I have the success that I have, 'cause I always live life the way I wanna live it.

Jay Shetty 18:46 It's a beautiful way to live, but the world's kinda set up with all these rules and contracts and things you have to sign and everything. So how have you managed to hold onto that? How have you kept that when there are so many demands, and, "Nicky, do this. Nicky, do that." Like ...

Nicky Jam 19:01 I don't do shit nobody tells me to do. I've never been that guy, and that probably could be a, a situation. Sometimes they call me and they say, "We need you to do a video for this show." I'm like, "I'm not doing it."

Jay Shetty 19:12 Mm.

Nicky Jam 19:13 I just, I don't do stuff people tell me I have to do. I don't work like that. I don't like people telling me there's a structure of life. There's a, there's a blueprint of living. Hell no. I live the life the way I wanna live it. I'm a good guy, and I always work with everybody, and I listen to people, 'cause I'm open, you know, for ideas and I'm open for everything. I'm not open for commands.

Jay Shetty 19:36 Mm.

Nicky Jam 19:36 It's just that. That's just the way I am.

Jay Shetty 19:38 Mm.

Nicky Jam 19:38 And if you tell me, "Nicky, what do you think if we do this?" You know?

Jay Shetty 19:43 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 19:43 I'm like, "Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah." Why? Why? Why? I wanna know why.

Jay Shetty 19:47 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 19:47 "Well, 'cause I think if you do this and we do it this way, we could do that, and this could happen." I'm like, "Okay."

Jay Shetty 19:53 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 19:53 "Okay, let's do it. Let's work." You know? I, I'd rather work that way than a command.

Jay Shetty 19:57 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 19:58 And telling me I have to, and just, that's just the way I am, and that's, that's the way I've been living for years, you know?

Jay Shetty 20:04 That's what I was gonna say. It makes sense for you, because you've had to be your own boss and make decisions in tough times, and you've had to-

Nicky Jam 20:11 I know, and I've paid-

Jay Shetty 20:12 ... be responsible

Nicky Jam 20:12 ... and I've paid my dues 'cause of that, too, at the same time. I've been, I've been in situations where I almost got killed a lot of times. Not once. Probably, like, 50, 60 times. Uh, I've been in jail. I've been through so many things 'cause I do whatever the [censored] I wanna do [laughs] .

Jay Shetty 20:32 Mm.

Nicky Jam 20:32 You know what I'm saying? But at the same times, I've done so many good things, 'cause I do whatever the [censored] I wanna do.

Jay Shetty 20:38 Mm-hmm.

Nicky Jam 20:38 You know, I've had so much success, and it's not even about success. It's about helping people, too.

Jay Shetty 20:43 Mm.

Nicky Jam 20:43 'Cause the meaning of everything is, my whole way of thinking about things is, I want pe- I wanna inspirate people.

Jay Shetty 20:52 Mm-hmm.

Nicky Jam 20:53 If I open a restaurant, if I do a song, if I give away a, a, a schola- a scholarship, anything I do, even if I [censored] up- [laughs]

Jay Shetty 21:05 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 21:05 ... I want people to get inspir- inspirated by it. 'Cause the reality is we all [censored] up.

Jay Shetty 21:12 Mm-hmm.

Nicky Jam 21:12 We're human beings. We're not angels. We're not ... We don't have wings and shit. We all [censored] up, so I want people to, you know, see things as inspiration. I, and I li- ... You know, to be honest with you, I know people think ... You know, they saw my story and, and they see it like, well, you know, uh, h- he's already has s- his success. He had his bad moments. He, he woke up like the phoenix, 'cause they call me the phoenix in the, in, in the urban music game, 'cause I came from the ashes and I came back and I did a comeback, and then I conquered the world, and so ever, so ever. But the reality of everything is I still go through shit. [laughs]

Jay Shetty 21:50 Mm.

Nicky Jam 21:51 I still have my bad ... Not bad days. Bad months. Or I could say a whole bad year.

Jay Shetty 21:58 Mm.

Nicky Jam 21:58 Even if I have success.

Jay Shetty 22:00 Mm.

Nicky Jam 22:01 You know, 'cause we have these skeletons in the closet that are trying to pull me back. You know, the past is killing me, and a lot of people be like, " [censored] the past, go." N- that's not the way it works, you know? We have a lot of people, especially men, going through mental health, you know, mental problems, and they just don't talk about it.

Jay Shetty 22:24 Mm.

Nicky Jam 22:24 They scared of talking about it. It's, it's not easy for a man to do it, 'cause a man always have to have shit together. You know? Like, I'm a man. I never have a problem. I take care of everything. But that's not the way it works.

Jay Shetty 22:35 Mm.

Nicky Jam 22:35 You know, I go through anxiety sometimes. I get panic attacks. I get nervous. I get the shakes. I get a lot of shit I start thinking about, 'cause I'm a human being. You know? And I went through a lot of shit.

Jay Shetty 22:49 Mm.

Nicky Jam 22:49 And I'm paying a lot of things that I went through and a lot of things that I did in the past, you know. Even if I have success, even if I help somebody, even if tomorrow I'll give $100 to a homeless guy or give away a scholarship through the Grammys or, or, uh, I don't know, give away a whole concert for free or whatever I do, I still ... I have my ... I, I smile, but I go through, you know-

Jay Shetty 23:12 Mm

Nicky Jam 23:13 ... my bad moments. So it's just ... You know, it's just life.

Jay Shetty 23:17 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 23:18 It's just life.

Jay Shetty 23:18 Yeah. What creates the ... It sounds like it almost feels like you have that to share today. Like, you've come here with this feeling of like, "I want people to know that despite the success, despite the arc of my journey from, like, a lot of pain to finding my genius and flow," and the greatness that you've achieved, that you want people to know that, "I still have human emotions. I still have issues." What would you say are those things that come up now? What are the roots of those? What are those issues?

Nicky Jam 23:45 No, I, I, I gonna ... I'm gonna be honest with you.

Jay Shetty 23:47 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 23:47 And I have ... I've never opened up in, in any of these shows about this. I've been going through alcohol problems these last, uh ... this whole last year.

Jay Shetty 23:56 Mm.

Nicky Jam 23:56 It's 'cause for some reason, the past came back to me, and people have seen this, you know? And, and it, and it affect me in a way that even, um, I, uh ... I even said I was gonna retire, and that's a lie. I'm not retiring. I will never retire. I even posted a video. I edited a video and I posted it, that I was retiring. It was the alcohol, you know? I've been battling with this for a couple of years now. I could say one or two years. You know, I can't say I'm a alcoholic, 'cause if I say I'm an alcoholic, I'm lying. An alcoholic is a person that sees alcohol and starts shivering and drinks every single day. But I go through my days where I go crazy, five or six days, and, and people seen this. And to be honest with you, I'm s- uh, I smoke weed today 'cause I'm dealing with the anxiety of not drinking.

Jay Shetty 24:50 Mm.

Nicky Jam 24:50 And I've been stopping, you know, drinking and all that 'cause of the weed. The weed been, been helping me in a way, and people seeing me smoke and they like, "Oh, he went back." But weed was never a problem for me. It was, it was Percs and cocaine and other stuff. I w- weed was never a problem for me. So when people start seeing me smoking weed, they were like, "Oh, he went back again," and oh, they saw me drinking alcohol, "He went back again." Reality is I've always been battling [laughs] with my situation. You know? I just, I've just had good years.

Jay Shetty 25:24 Mm.

Nicky Jam 25:24 Seven, eight, nine years, and then I, you know, have my struggles again with other stuff.

Jay Shetty 25:31 Mm-hmm.

Nicky Jam 25:31 You know, you could say the alcohol. The weed I don't see as a drug.

Jay Shetty 25:35 Yeah, yeah.

Nicky Jam 25:35 That's just the way I see it.

Jay Shetty 25:36 Mm-hmm.

Nicky Jam 25:37 I smoke, it makes me chill. I get hungry sometimes, I eat, I laugh, and it make ... gets my mind off all the negativity and drinking and stuff like that.

Jay Shetty 25:48 Mm.

Nicky Jam 25:48 And I just felt judged by people. Like, you know, like, just 'cause I stopped doing the other stuff and I've been clean for so many years, and then they see me smoking weed or they see me dr- uh, drinking alcohol, they judge me, but they saw my past.

Jay Shetty 26:04 Mm.

Nicky Jam 26:04 And it's, it's contradicting 'cause it's like, okay, so you see my past. You say you feel bad about my situation. You understand my situation, but then you see me fall in any situation, or y- you see me do s- anything to deal with my anxiety or my present moment and you judge me. And yeah, I do feel a type of way. I, it, it pisses me off. I ain't gonna be lying. But I can't, I can't get mad at the same time 'cause people don't understand, and, and you can't get mad at people who don't understand your situation, you know?

Jay Shetty 26:34 Mm.

Nicky Jam 26:35 But at the same time, can you judge somebody if you don't know their situation?

Jay Shetty 26:39 Totally, yeah. Who are we to judge?

Nicky Jam 26:40 You know, I judged my mom for so many years until I heard what happened to her in the past, and that's why today I respect my mom and I understand my mom. She had a crazy past. So, you know, I wish I could share it, but out of respect for her I, I won't do it.

Jay Shetty 27:00 Absolutely. I respect that too.

Nicky Jam 27:00 'Cause I don't, I don't know if I have the green light. Like, stuff that I did talk about my mom is 'cause I had the green light from her to talk about. But, uh, probably one day I come out and, uh, do another series [laughs] .

Jay Shetty 27:12 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 27:13 Hey, you know, and, and she gives me the green light to talk about whatever. But I don't think I'll do another series about my life. I think, uh, what I did was enough, and I don't wanna k- I, I, in a way I don't wanna, I don't wanna be in a box. I, I, I feel people box me like this, like the, um ... How do you say this in English? Uh, 'cause I think in Spanish so much.

Jay Shetty 27:33 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 27:34 Um, like a role model.

Jay Shetty 27:36 Mm.

Nicky Jam 27:37 I, I'm, I don't wanna be a role model. I, I, I appreciate that people see me as a role model, but I'm a human being.

Jay Shetty 27:46 Mm.

Nicky Jam 27:47 And if I have to be a perfect human being to be a role model, I don't wanna be a role model. I wanna be a human ... I wanna keep being a human being. I wanna be able to fall and get back up again, and fall and get back up again, and fall and get back up again. I don't wanna be boxed as this role model just 'cause people wanna see me as a role model. And after I did this series, people see me as this guy that can't [censored] up. [laughs] Why?

Jay Shetty 28:15 Mm.

Nicky Jam 28:15 I'm not an angel. When you go to church, a lot of people could say, "Ah, I don't like going to church 'cause I see [censored] in church that I don't like, and I see people from church doing things they don't have to do." They're not angels.

Jay Shetty 28:27 Mm.

Nicky Jam 28:29 They're fighting their battles.

Jay Shetty 28:30 Mm-hmm.

Nicky Jam 28:31 You cannot expect them to be perfect. Even the pastor, he's gonna [censored] up.

Jay Shetty 28:37 Mm-hmm.

Nicky Jam 28:38 He's a human being. Now, if we in the s- if we in the sky and we with God and there's angels [censored] up, I understand.

Jay Shetty 28:44 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 28:44 But none of these [censored] got wings. [laughs]

Jay Shetty 28:46 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 28:47 They human beings.

Jay Shetty 28:49 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 28:49 People don't understand that.

Jay Shetty 28:50 That's true.

Nicky Jam 28:50 And it's easy to judge people, you know?

Jay Shetty 28:53 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 28:53 It's easy to judge people, but if you had my money, and you had my power, and you had my past, and you had my career, how would you manage it?

Jay Shetty 29:04 Mm.

Nicky Jam 29:06 You know? You can't say you know how you gonna do it 'cause you never had it before, you know?

Jay Shetty 29:13 Mm-hmm. Hey, you're just catching me as I have my midday pick-me-up. I'm sure you've heard about Juni. Radhi and I put all of our love into creating this amazing drink. It's full of nootropics and adaptogens.

Jay Shetty 29:27 Great for that little boost of energy, enhanced focus, and a happy mind. And guess what? It's only five calories and absolutely no sugar. I hope you're gonna try it out. It's available right now at Target. If you're a Target shopper, head there right now. And at Sprouts as well this summer. Go grab your Juni. It's powerful to hear that having context of your mom's past was so helpful in you making sense of who she was and why she was that way. I wanna know for you, what was it that took you to drugs the first time, and what was it that took you back to alcohol this time? Like, what were the two motivations that-

Nicky Jam 30:06 Um-

Jay Shetty 30:06 ... took you there the first time and now as well?

Nicky Jam 30:09 Drugs was some, was part of my family-

Jay Shetty 30:11 Mm

Nicky Jam 30:11 ... since I was a kid. My uncle died of AIDS 'cause he, he shot heroin, uh, using somebody else's needles. He died in my face. My dad did drugs. My mom did drugs in the house. My uncle did drugs. My other uncle did drugs. Everybody in the house would come to my house to do drugs, and I would see that, a whole bunch of zombies in my [censored] house. So this started since that.

Jay Shetty 30:38 Mm-hmm.

Nicky Jam 30:39 And then when I'm 11 years old, I moved to Puerto Rico, and kids in Puerto Rico were doing drugs like nothing in the hood. I'm not saying everybody in Puerto Rico does drugs. Where I was raised, it was normal for, to, to see kids doing drugs. And at 11, I started smoking weed, and from weed, couple of years after, I went to coke. What made me do coke was, uh, was the first girl that I had. She, uh, she left me for another man when I was, um, 14 or 15 years old. She left me 'cause I was a kid, and I didn't have a job or nothing like that, and she left me for a man that had a job and had inspiration and had all that, you know, blah, blah, blah. And, uh, my mom abandoned me, so to have another girl abandon me, it affected me i- in a way so big that, uh, I did, I started doing cocaine.

Jay Shetty 31:37 Mm.

Nicky Jam 31:38 And from there, I, uh ... It went from cocaine to heroin, heroin to ecstasy, ecstasy to, uh, any type of drug until I got hooked with the, with the Percs and, and, you know, codeine, and I was doing Percs, 30 Percs a day for years. I cleaned myself for years 'cause, you know, I got my shit together, and I said I know it was destroying me, and it was destroying my body and destroying my mind, destroying my health. But, uh, when I had success, and I did it all, and I was all this money, and, you know, it's lonely in the top. For some reason, that lifestyle took me back to the past. And, um, I started going out. I didn't do anything, and I was bored, and somebody had a thing of champagne, and I just took one, and I started drinking one. And from there, it went to give me another one, and there gave me for another one. And then I started traveling, and I went to Europe, and then the base where I was staying was Amsterdam during the week. And, um, I had a little bar in the front [laughs] , and I started drinking and drinking and drinking, and I, I thought it was something that I could do, you know, in, in ... while I was touring during the week, and then weekends I would perform. Went back to Miami, it wasn't the same. I was still in Amsterdam even if I was in Miami.

Jay Shetty 33:06 Mm.

Nicky Jam 33:07 And that's how I got back to it.

Jay Shetty 33:09 Mm. Where do

Jay Shetty 33:10 you go for help? Like, when you cleaned the first time, and now you're being so open about this challenge that you have right now, like, how have you been able to find the right help to support you through that journey?

Nicky Jam 33:19 Myself. Myself and my people, my girl. You know, my girl would tell me, "Nicky, you drink, and you sleep for two, a whole day," and I'd be alone. That affected me. I'm like, "Oh, shit, like, really? Like, I leave you alone for, like, eight hours and shit?" And all the shit that I, I would do that I wouldn't remember, you know? And I'm like, "I don't wanna be that guy. I don't wanna be a guy that do things and don't remember." So that, that, that helped me a lot. People around me, see people around me, you know, not liking me being this guy that's drinking and, you know ... I've had fun. I ain't gonna lie. This whole time, I, uh, I don't wanna make it a sad story.

Jay Shetty 34:00 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 34:00 I don't want people to think that I've been s- like, sad and crying. I've had a lot of fun, a lot of fun, but too much fun is not good, you know?

Jay Shetty 34:08 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 34:09 Yeah. Too much fun is not good, and, uh, and if you forget shit, and you don't remember shit, it's bad. And that's why, uh, I, um, I started smoking 'cause-

Jay Shetty 34:19 Mm

Nicky Jam 34:19 ... I would get a ... I, I'm very anxious. If you see me here, I can't stop moving. That's just the way I am. I've been like that since, since I was a kid. I've never told this story before, but when I was a kid, um, I ate, uh, lead, paint with lead. They paint the house where I was living with lead, and I used to eat that-

Jay Shetty 34:38 Oh, wow

Nicky Jam 34:39 ... when I was a kid. So that lead got into my blood, and that lead affected me in a way that it makes me very anxious.

Jay Shetty 34:47 Mm-hmm.

Nicky Jam 34:48 Uh, my sister had it, too. And, um, so, you know, all the drugs that I did in the past and all that affected my nervous system, so I'm a very anxious person. And I ain't gonna lie, the weed helps me a lot. It's been helping me a lot. I would probably ... Somebody hears me and is like, "You're stupid. You, you're leaving something for another thing," or whatever. I mean, I do whatever I gotta do to, like-

Jay Shetty 35:12 For sure

Nicky Jam 35:13 ... to feel better, and I'd rather smoke than drink. And I'm not doing the Percs I used to do in the past or the cocaine, et cetera. And I don't even know why I'm telling you so much [laughs] shit.

Jay Shetty 35:23 I appreciate it. No, man, I, I, I think it's ... I mean, it's real. It's real. And, and-

Nicky Jam 35:27 Oh, I'm real. [laughs]

Jay Shetty 35:28 Yeah. And, and if anything, I'm

Jay Shetty 35:30 ... It's impressive how aware you are of yourself, having had so much trauma, stress, pain. Like, you're so aware. Like, that's what I'm noticing in you. I'm listening to you. I'm like, "Wow, this person's so aware." You're so open to people in your inner circle being able to share their feedback with you.

Nicky Jam 35:52 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 35:53 You said it's lonely at the top, but it seems like you've surrounded yourself with people that can be honest with you and are honest with you. And that's beautiful.

Nicky Jam 36:01 Yeah, you could, you could have good people next to you and still feel lonely.

Jay Shetty 36:04 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 36:05 It's weird. I don't know how to explain that.

Jay Shetty 36:07 Mm.

Nicky Jam 36:08 For some reason, you can have, uh, good people next to you, have a good circle of people, have good friends, have a good girl. I have, uh, I have beautiful kids. My kids are big now. You know, they're all in college and high school, and I'm not the typical guy that calls the family every day and checks on them. I'm the guy that when you call, I'm there, you know? My dad calls me and I'll be there in a second. Anything he needs. My mom as well. My, my, my kids as well. Even my friends.

Jay Shetty 36:39 Mm.

Nicky Jam 36:40 Uh, sometimes I just don't wanna be next to people, but it's not 'cause I'm a jerk, 'cause I love my friends.

Jay Shetty 36:44 Mm.

Nicky Jam 36:45 And my friends have been my family for a long time, 'cause, you know, I've been on the road so long. I've been more on the road than in my house. You know, traveling the world. I've traveled the world. I've done so much around the world that to be in my house is just something that doesn't happen. But, uh, but yeah, sometimes you still feel lonely. It, it's, it's just a-

Jay Shetty 37:08 Yeah [laughs]

Nicky Jam 37:09 ... the traumas, man.

Jay Shetty 37:09 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 37:09 The traumas take you, take you there. But I deal with it. I mean-

Jay Shetty 37:13 Yeah

Nicky Jam 37:13 ... I'm just opening it up to you. I'm not-

Jay Shetty 37:14 For sure

Nicky Jam 37:14 ... you know, it's not that I come ... Like, I was, I've been laughing my whole way here.

Jay Shetty 37:18 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 37:18 I have a good time. I make fun of myself. I joke around everywhere I go.

Jay Shetty 37:24 Yeah, yeah.

Nicky Jam 37:25 I have s- a lot of fun. But you know, I'm a human being, and that's what I want people to understand. I have my days just like you. I have my depressions just like you. I have my insecurities just like you. I have my ... All that shit that people think we don't have 'cause we have money, we have cars, we have uh, uh, uh, all that bullshit that the reality is just nothing, you know? The end of the day, it's just when you're alone in that bed, you know, you're dying in that bed, you don't have a Ferrari next to you. You don't have whole bunch of girls next to you. You don't have a whole bunch of friends next to you. It's your family who's there with you, you know? So, uh-

Jay Shetty 38:06 Mm

Nicky Jam 38:07 ... I'm real.

Jay Shetty 38:08 Yeah. Now walk me through, there's, there's some things you said to me that I think, you know, people won't experience once, let alone 50, 60 times. You were saying, like, nearly being killed. Like, what is that? That must be a life-altering experience, but when you've had it 50, 60 times, I mean, do you become immune to that? Does that just become normal? Walk me through-

Nicky Jam 38:26 Not, not now.

Jay Shetty 38:27 No.

Nicky Jam 38:27 No, not now-

Jay Shetty 38:28 Walk me-

Nicky Jam 38:28 ... 'cause I left that life a long time ago, but yeah

Jay Shetty 38:30 At that time?

Nicky Jam 38:31 In that time, yes, of course. Yeah, I was ... I didn't care.

Jay Shetty 38:33 Walk me through one of the events of that was the worst, like, that was the closest.

Nicky Jam 38:37 Oh my God. I mean, there's so many things I can't even talk about, 'cause it, it, the, the thing ... Well, I could, I could, I could almost talk about, I was at this club and, um, um, I just bought a gun. I bought a gun and, uh, for some reason this gun, if you, if you, if you, if you lower the safety, it shoots 'cause it, it, 'cause it, the gun was ... They, they put it fully automatic-

Jay Shetty 39:02 Mm

Nicky Jam 39:02 ... in a, in a street, in a street way. So I bought this gun, I went into a club. The way I got into the club with the gun is funny, that I put it in my chain and I tucked it in. Security guy touched it. I said it was, you know, it, it was, it was a ... If you had, like a, like a, um, how do you call that? Like a rosemary or something like that.

Jay Shetty 39:24 Yeah, yeah.

Nicky Jam 39:24 Or a Santa Maria or anything gold.

Jay Shetty 39:26 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 39:27 They, you can't, they can't touch it 'cause it's prepared. It's, it's-

Jay Shetty 39:29 Mm-hmm

Nicky Jam 39:29 ... a Puerto Rican thing.

Jay Shetty 39:30 Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Nicky Jam 39:31 And so I got in my gun and I shot the, the gun inside there, and then the-

Jay Shetty 39:37 Not at someone, just-

Nicky Jam 39:38 No, no

Jay Shetty 39:39 ... like-

Nicky Jam 39:39 I, I didn't wanna shoot it

Jay Shetty 39:40 ... yeah.

Nicky Jam 39:40 I, I lowered the safety and it, and it shot.

Jay Shetty 39:42 Right.

Nicky Jam 39:44 So I'm in the club, and the, the big guy from Puerto Rico, the one that it was, he was ... I'm not gonna say names, but the big guy, he was there, and his right man was there too. And they tell him, "Yo, Nicky's shooting in the club." And then the big guy know me, the, you know, the top guy. He knew me and he was like, "Oh, you know, Nicky, I'll deal with him. Don't worry about that. That's my boy." But then I was hiding myself behind this guy, 'cause I knew I just shot some, s- uh, shot the roof of the club, and I didn't want nobody knowing it was me. And I had an argument with the guy, and the guy said he was with the top guy. And I said, "I don't care you're with the top guy." But he told the top guy, he's like, "Nicky say he don't care about you." So his right-hand man came to shoot me, and then I shoot my way out. I shot him too and, and they gave me that phone call [laughs] saying, "Bro, wherever we get you, it's done." That was a scary moment, 'cause I know who this guy was, and he was one of the biggest guys, biggest guys in Puerto Rico. Long story short, the whole music industry helped me not get killed, and, uh, I had to pay my way to help the guy, 'cause the guy had, uh, uh, he had, uh, how do you call this? Um, he was, uh, he had diabetes. So when you get sh- if you get shot having diabetes, for some reason it affects you way more. And I had to, like, pay a lot of money. In that moment, we didn't make that much money in the industry, in the music industry. And I got out of that, but that's just one of the stories of-

Jay Shetty 41:19 Wow

Nicky Jam 41:19 ... of a whole bunch of stories I could tell you. [laughs]

Jay Shetty 41:21 Wow, man. And like you said, it's, there's real fear there. There's real things there.

Nicky Jam 41:25 No, when a guy like that calls you and tells you it's done, it's the, uh, you know, it's, it's one of the worst thing you could hear in your life.

Jay Shetty 41:31 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 41:31 You know, it's just ... I went through a lot of stuff, man. I went through a lot of stuff, and I was just a rebel. My mom not being there made me not care about living, you know? And that's just, it's just

Nicky Jam 41:42 the way it was.

Jay Shetty 41:42 How long were you ever in prison for, for the longest time?

Nicky Jam 41:45 Like three years.

Jay Shetty 41:46 Three years in one stretch?

Nicky Jam 41:48 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 41:48 Walk us through what three years in prison looks like. Because I feel like, again, most people only see it in the movies and, you know, it's glorified in a TV show or like-

Nicky Jam 41:57 At the beginning, you get all claustrophobic and you feel like, uh, you feel like you're gonna die. I mean, come on. Y- you're used to living in a house, and from living in a house, you're living in four walls.

Jay Shetty 42:08 Like this. Like smaller than this.

Nicky Jam 42:10 No, this is huge, bro. [laughs]

Jay Shetty 42:12 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 42:12 No, I mean, from your, from your, from where you are to where I am, and probably a little bit over here, that's it. That's all you got and a toilet. But the reality of everything, I've always been the soul of the party, so I made these people have fun. I sang for them. I made jokes all day, 'cause I'm a joker. I'd be doing jokes. And, uh, people love me. You know, people love me and, uh, they were gonna give me six years, and from six years I came out in three, so ... I try not to talk too much about that 'cause it was crazy days. But, but I could tell you that I, I, I thought for one moment everything was gonna be done-

Jay Shetty 42:53 Mm

Nicky Jam 42:54 ... when I got into that place. And, uh, as soon as I came out ... Coming inside it is not a problem. When you come out and you, uh, f- front everything that, uh, you left before you went inside jail. Just like drugs. You know, you stop doing drugs, and then you gotta confront yourself with all the things that made you-

Jay Shetty 43:14 Mm

Nicky Jam 43:14 ... get into drugs. So I don't know. I, uh, I, I just ... I'm just happy. I'm not ... I'm, I'm outside. [laughs]

Jay Shetty 43:23 Yeah. No, I'm fascinated because it's such a unique life experience that ... You know, I don't get to speak to someone who's had that experience and then had the other experience that you've had. So to me, I'm just curious because I feel like we have such a limited understanding of that life experience-

Nicky Jam 43:39 Yeah

Jay Shetty 43:39 ... from the outside in. Like, you have no clue what it looks like to have that experience. And I love what you said, that it's actually harder when you come out and you've gotta see where everything's kind of ... You gotta catch up with life.

Nicky Jam 43:49 Catch up with life.

Jay Shetty 43:50 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 43:50 And you know, you know, and then come back and, and do a comeback, and it was worse. I came out and it was worse and worse and worse, and I did more drugs and more drugs, and it was ... It came to a moment I, I looked all messed up 'cause, uh, Percs was a drug that would not, will make you eat.

Jay Shetty 44:07 Mm.

Nicky Jam 44:08 So I was a drug addict. I was a big drug addict. You know what I'm saying? I was an overweight drug addict. I would rather be a skinny drug addict. It makes more sense. But, uh, I wasn't. I was eating all this shit and, you know, and overweight and just, you know, embarrassment, embarrassments, embarrassments. So it was like, it was just horrible. But, um, you know, moving to Colombia changed my life.

Jay Shetty 44:38 Mm. Why, why did that change your life?

Nicky Jam 44:40 Well, the reality is, uh, sometimes you have to move. You know? You can't stay in one place. And, uh, they called me for a

Nicky Jam 44:49 show in Colombia when I was in my worst moment, and I went over there and I performed. [laughs] Reality, I, I acted like I was my own manager and I changed my voice. Uh ...

Jay Shetty 45:01 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 45:02 They're like, [laughs] "Yo, can we get, uh, Nicky Jam for the 18th?" Uh, "One moment. Let me, let me, let me put my manager." "Yes. What do you need right now?"

Jay Shetty 45:09 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 45:09 You know what I mean? Changed my voice, and I acted like I was my own manager. And, um, I went to Colombia, and I'm thinking over here I'm the worst guy on the ... list of singers that's gonna be in this concert. You know, all these kids were popping. They were, like, killing the game. I haven't been in Colombia for a long time, so I go over there and I'm over here thinking, damn, I'm gonna sing these old songs. You know, I've been out of the game for so long, and not doing well, and, you know, I don't, I don't know if I wanna go on stage, you know? Like, I got even nervous and everything. And I'm seeing that all these kids are performing, and they saving me for last. And I'm ... I, I tell the promoter, like, "Bro, why are you leaving me for last? I mean, you got all these ... kids. They killing the ... game right now. They, they doing everything perfect. Like, why are you leave..." He's like, [laughs] "We're saving you for last, bro, 'cause you're the one people wanna see."

Jay Shetty 46:03 Mm.

Nicky Jam 46:04 "You never did a show here when you was really popping, so people wanna see you." So when I got on stage, it was standing ovation. I mean, people were, like, crazy. And it went from that to that same two weeks I was doing, like, 15 shows I did. Cheap, but hey, I made some money, and I paid the rent. Went back to Puerto Rico, paid the rent, bought myself a car, da, da, da, da. And I'm thinking, "The ... am I doing here in Puerto Rico?" I have this country that loves me so much. I'm working, and I feel good over there. So I started ... It started from me, like, staying two weeks, three weeks, to me saying, "You know what? I'm moving here."

Jay Shetty 46:48 Mm.

Nicky Jam 46:48 "I'm moving to this country." And, uh, I was going through a bad moment there, you know? I was going through a really bad moment in Puerto Rico, and I went through a lot of embarrassments and stuff like that. So people in Colombia was seeing me as a idol, an icon. They were like, "Nicky, you're an icon." I'm like, "Icon? What do you mean? I'm, I'm broke." [laughs] "An icon? I'm overweight, broke. How you gonna call me an icon?" But people ... See, when people give you that love and they say you the best, you believe it. So thanks for them people giving me that love and saying I'm the best, I did believe I was the best until I became the best and I conquered the world. I realized the country had more than 65 million people, and it was the YouTube era, and I said, "You know what? If I have one number-one hit, national hit in this country, I could probably have so many views that I can make other countries wanna know why I have so many views." And it went to, from having one national hit to five national hits, and having 15 million in one song, 20 million in another one, 30 million in another one. People was like, "Yo, Nicky's ... popping." And from there it went to Chile, from there it went to Ecuador, from there it went to here, Europe, ba, ba, ba, ba. And then from there I did five number-one global hits. Did the World Cup, did movies in Hollywood and et cetera, et cetera. I did everything. And thanks to Colombia, you know?

Jay Shetty 48:30 Mm.

Nicky Jam 48:30 Thanks for the love they gave me. Thanks for the support they gave me. Thanks for making me think that I was somebody bigger than I thought I was, you know? And that's just something that I appreciate so much.

Jay Shetty 48:43 Mm.

Nicky Jam 48:44 And that's why I love the country everywhere I go. And I ... Every country I go, I talk about Colombia. I could be in Mexico and I talk about Colombia. I could be in Puerto Rico and I talk about Colombia, and I say, "Hey, if you guys see two Colombians walking around the streets, give them love." Why? 'Cause they took one of yours, and they gave them love. And that's just the way I see it. That's the way I believe it, you know? If I see somebody from Colombia struggling in my country, if ... I mean, I'm living in Puerto Rico, I get them in my house. I take care of them 'cause Colombia did it with me.

Jay Shetty 49:18 Mm.

Nicky Jam 49:18 They gave me love when I needed it. I owe them so much. That's why I always try to, you know, show love and do whatever I could do to help the country, you know?

Jay Shetty 49:26 Mm. Yeah, I really believe in this idea of having a power place or a purpose place in the world. There are certain places that you move to that it feels like the whole universe is conspiring for you to grow and become something.

Nicky Jam 49:42 Colombia, yeah. Colombia's exactly that.

Jay Shetty 49:44 Yeah, yeah, Colombia is that for you.

Nicky Jam 49:45 And, and I appreciate that so much. You know, even if ... I, I wish, I wish, um, I would've went before. [laughs]

Jay Shetty 49:53 Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

Nicky Jam 49:53 You know?

Jay Shetty 49:53 There's ... I mean, there's a reason why, like, places become iconic for something. Like, you look at Silicon Valley and tech, or you look at LA and entertainment, you look at New York and finance, you look at, you know ... Even I was with my friend in ... You know, we're in this [laughs] ... We're in Oxford in England, and, like, literally every book that we grew up on, whether it was Alice in Wonderland or Lord of the Rings, was written in that area of Oxford.

Nicky Jam 50:19 Of course.

Jay Shetty 50:19 And so it's like you've got all these hubs in the world where writers, creatives, artists, entrepreneurs gravitate because there's an energetic pull in that place.

Nicky Jam 50:30 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 50:30 And for you, you know, Colombia sounds like it was that power place, that purpose place.

Nicky Jam 50:34 It was. It was, 100%.

Jay Shetty 50:35 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 50:35 And I, I'm really grateful-

Jay Shetty 50:37 Yeah, I can see that

Nicky Jam 50:38 ... for the country, and I would always give love and show love to the country-

Jay Shetty 50:42 Yeah

Nicky Jam 50:42 ... until the day I die. And I don't mind dying in Colombia, you know?

Jay Shetty 50:45 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 50:45 'Cause, uh, I feel like I'm dying home, you know?

Jay Shetty 50:49 Mm.

Jay Shetty 50:50 What was it like having that conversation with your mom after you had context of whatever she went through? What did it feel like to, like, approach that? 'Cause the reason I ask it is I feel like a lot of us judge our parents for not giving us enough, for not being there, for maybe, you know, creating our trauma, et cetera. How do you then have that conversation to be like, "I don't judge you. Like, this is how I ..." Like, how do you even navigate a conversation like that?

Nicky Jam 51:18 Um, my mom is not a easy individual. My mom is very complicated. She's not, she's not, uh ... Well, you gotta understand, my mom was a lady that when ... She was a drug addict most of her life, you know? It's not like getting to talk to a typical mom that's gonna, like, talk to you and say, "Yes, son, how you doing?" And the ... It's, you know, a person that literally was raised in the streets, you know? So having a conversation with my mom is not the easiest thing in the world, but I sh- I give her the message in a strong way 'cause I have my mom's, um, character. I, I don't know if that's the right way of saying it.

Jay Shetty 52:03 Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Nicky Jam 52:04 My sister has my dad's. And my mom is a strong woman, and she don't take shit from nobody. And I'm a strong mother [censored] . I don't take shit from nobody. That's just the way I am. I've always been like that since I was a kid. I was raised like that, and, you know, my mom raised me like that. In, in the small time she was with me, she would tell me, in school, she was like, "If you go and you fight in school, and the kid, the kid you was fighting with, he beat up more than you, I'ma whoop your ass when you get home."

Jay Shetty 52:34 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 52:35 Automatically, my mom gave me that ... I gotta whoop people's asses. If I go back home-

Jay Shetty 52:40 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 52:41 ... my mom's gonna whoop me, and I'm scar- I'm more scared of my mom than the kid in school.

Jay Shetty 52:45 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 52:45 So she made me a tough guy, you know? She made me a tough guy. The conversation was just me being s- strong to her and telling her, "Hey, you know what? You did this. You went through this. I understand you. I went through a lot of shit myself. I needed you, but you here now, and we here, and that's all that matters," you know? And I take care of her. I bought her a house. You know, I give her money monthly. Anything she needs, you know, I take care of her. You know, sh- it's hard 'cause, you know, to have a relationship, she lives in Dominican Republic. She can't travel.

Jay Shetty 53:23 Mm.

Nicky Jam 53:23 You know, I've been fighting for her to have her, you know, a pardon from the United States so she could come back. She can't have it right now. But, uh, I leave everything in God's hands.

Jay Shetty 53:36 Mm.

Nicky Jam 53:37 Um-

Jay Shetty 53:38 Do you pray a lot?

Nicky Jam 53:39 If I say I pray a lot, I'm a liar, man. I have so much, uh, [laughs] it's so funny, man. I have so much, uh, ADD that even if I pray, I can lose myself praying.

Jay Shetty 53:54 [laughs] So it goes from-

Nicky Jam 53:56 I don't know if I'm the only one that has that situation.

Jay Shetty 53:58 I think we all have that.

Nicky Jam 53:59 Huh?

Jay Shetty 53:59 I think we all have, like, a sense of it.

Nicky Jam 54:01 But I talk to God.

Jay Shetty 54:02 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 54:03 I don't pray.

Jay Shetty 54:04 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 54:04 'Cause praying has a process.

Jay Shetty 54:06 Mm.

Nicky Jam 54:07 You know? You ... Praying is just not like, uh, yeah, God, I need you to hook me up with this, and da, da, da. No, praying is more like, you know, like, you have to first say, you know, thank, thank, thank you for everything I have. Ask for other people's, uh, you know, blessings and health and all that. And then-

Jay Shetty 54:28 Mm-hmm

Nicky Jam 54:29 ... you talk about yourself. That's the right way of doing it. That's the way the Bible says you should do it.

Jay Shetty 54:34 Mm.

Nicky Jam 54:34 I don't go through all that process all, every time. I do it sometimes. But I talk to God here and there. You know, I talk to God, and, uh, I have conversations with God. I feel like God is my best friend. I know it's not the right way. I know I should pray more.

Jay Shetty 54:49 No, I mean, that sounds beautiful.

Nicky Jam 54:51 Yeah. I-

Jay Shetty 54:51 That sounds like the essence of Prayer. [laughs]

Nicky Jam 54:54 Yeah, I mean, I, I, I, I ... Well, me being a guy that knows about the Bible and-

Jay Shetty 54:59 Yeah

Nicky Jam 54:59 ... knows about the word of God, I know there's a better way-

Jay Shetty 55:03 Mm

Nicky Jam 55:03 ... of having a connection with God, and a better way of praying. They say that you wake up every morning, and you get on your knees, and you pray, it's the right way. I wake up nauseous in the morning. W- Now, like, I feel like I'm sick in the morning. I gotta eat something first. So if I sit, if I get on my knees-

Jay Shetty 55:24 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 55:24 ... and I start praying, and I don't feel good, I don't feel like I'm giving the best.

Jay Shetty 55:29 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 55:29 I don't know if I'm ... I don't know-

Jay Shetty 55:30 No, I think you're all of us. I think that makes sense, yeah.

Nicky Jam 55:32 Yeah, I don't know. I mean, I, I feel like ... I mean, can I at least eat a piece of bread or something-

Jay Shetty 55:36 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 55:36 ... so I, so I can, like, really focus on praying the w- the right way? Um-

Jay Shetty 55:41 That's brilliant

Nicky Jam 55:42 ... I mean, look at my past and look what everything I've been through, and I'm still here, you know? Um, I feel God has a purpose for me. He has a huge purpose for me.

Jay Shetty 55:53 Yes.

Nicky Jam 55:53 And I feel God loves me the way I am. I, I mean, I f- I feel if I go to heaven and I'll probably, like, joke around with God and, you know, playing around with his beard and, and you know, just, just the way I see myself. He made me. He knows the way I am. He knows my essence. He made me. I have respect for God. I love God, and I know it w- the time will come where I would have to, like, really dedicate myself to God 'cause he has given me so much, and I haven't given him what I have to, you know?

Jay Shetty 56:26 Mm.

Nicky Jam 56:27 So I know I owe God a lot.

Jay Shetty 56:28 Mm.

Nicky Jam 56:29 You know, I, I ...

Jay Shetty 56:30 That's beautiful, man

Nicky Jam 56:31 ... I'll pay him back. I'll pay him back. [laughs]

Jay Shetty 56:33 [laughs] You've had a lot of figures in your life that have been important at different times, and of course, as you mentioned earlier, like Daddy Yankee was in that mixtape time, and, you know, growing you. And then of course, I believe the relationship didn't go as, you know ... Relationships fizzle out and don't always work the same. Have you found

Jay Shetty 56:51 a way to reconcile those relationships as well, or are you kind of sometimes like, if it didn't work out, part ways, move on?

Nicky Jam 56:57 Well, the only persons who I had situations like that, or person, was Daddy Yankee, and I-

Jay Shetty 57:03 Mm.

Nicky Jam 57:03 Me and him are better than ever. He just, he texted me, I think it was yesterday or today. He's in church now. He's, he's, he's, he's with God now 100%, and I, I'm really happy for him. And, uh, he knows what I've been going through and all that, and we've talked before. We had, uh, conversations, and, uh, you know, me and him are, like, better than ever now. So-

Jay Shetty 57:23 Mm

Nicky Jam 57:23 ... I can't say forgiveness 'cause he didn't do anything to me. Uh, if, if we could say it was the other way around, he always tried to be the big brother, and I always tried to be the wreck. Getting Daddy Yankee out of the situation, any s- any person that I've had problem with, that, that's done something to me, I forgive and I feel better. 'Cause the forgiveness is not for, for them. It's for yourself, you know?

Jay Shetty 57:46 Mm.

Nicky Jam 57:46 And I, I feel better. You know, I've had problems ... Even here today, I have a friend, he's right here with me, and we ha- we didn't talk to each other for, uh, I don't know, four years or something like that.

Jay Shetty 57:58 Wow.

Nicky Jam 57:58 We, we was mad. We had a bad situations, and now we're joking in the car like nothing happened. I think that's the way it should be.

Jay Shetty 58:05 Mm.

Nicky Jam 58:06 Life is too short.

Jay Shetty 58:08 Mm-hmm.

Nicky Jam 58:08 You know? And, uh, to hold grudges and be mad and shit and be mad with people, just go back to people. And they gave me so much in the moment that it's, it's crazy, like, not to be with them. They can [censored] up too, you know?

Jay Shetty 58:24 Mm-hmm.

Nicky Jam 58:25 You know, people [censored] up and sometimes do f- things that other people will never forgive. Now I'ma tell you this though: I forgive, but I never forget. And with that, I'll say everything.

Jay Shetty 58:37 Mm. Last

Jay Shetty 58:39 year when I went on my world tour, something that I was doing throughout the show was I was creating moments of growth, but that were discomfort for people from the audience. I would bring people up, and I would guide them and coach them through an uncomfortable situation in their life. So at the end of the show, there was this one moment that we did across the world, so we did it at 40 shows across the world, and I would ask people in the audience if there was someone in their life that they loved but that they haven't talked to in five, 10, 15 years. And people had crazy stories. There were people who, like, hadn't talked to their kids for 10 years, brothers and sisters who hadn't talked for five years, you know, people who hadn't talked to their ex for seven years, whatever, all these stories. And I'd invite someone on stage who felt comfortable, and I'd coach them through, and they'd have to ... I'd ask them to call that person on stage in front of everyone, but not tell them that they're at an event, and share how they really felt. And it was amazing, man, to see, like, out of the 40 phone calls, 20 went to voicemail, but 20 went through to the person. And it wasn't about a happy ending, or it wasn't about, like, a perfect reconnection. It was about what you said. Life was too short to carry that weight-

Nicky Jam 59:55 Yeah

Jay Shetty 59:55 ... of I love this person and I haven't said it, or I used to really appreciate this friend and I, we lost touch. We fell out over nothing, or maybe we fell out over something. When you're reconnecting with people in your life, what, what's been the thing that's allowed you to, to have the courage to do that? Like, you've done it with your mom, you've done it with Daddy Yankee. Like, w- where's that coming from?

Nicky Jam 1:00:15 That's just Nicky. I only have one friend that I didn't talk to that I had problems with. It's the one I just told you.

Jay Shetty 1:00:23 Mm.

Nicky Jam 1:00:24 I'm the stupid one that always forgive people. [laughs] When I say stupid, it's 'cause that's what people tell me, you know? Not 'cause I think I'm stupid 'cause I forgive people-

Jay Shetty 1:00:34 Yeah

Nicky Jam 1:00:34 ... and I reconnect with them again. I just, I don't care.

Jay Shetty 1:00:39 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 1:00:39 I just don't care. It don't affect me anymore. Like, if something affect me in the moment, but I for- like, I don't d- it makes me forget. I don't know why. It's just the way I am.

Jay Shetty 1:00:50 Mm.

Nicky Jam 1:00:50 I don't stay with that shit here. Probably it makes me a better person. I feel ... No, probably it makes me a person, a happier person.

Jay Shetty 1:00:57 Mm.

Nicky Jam 1:00:58 I feel that I'm a happier person 'cause of that I'm not saying I'm perfect. I'm not saying I don't-

Jay Shetty 1:01:02 Yeah

Nicky Jam 1:01:02 ... go through shit. Yes, I have a whole bunch of situations in life, but I have better quality of life 'cause I forgive.

Jay Shetty 1:01:13 Mm.

Nicky Jam 1:01:14 I have no problem with forgiveness. I have no problem with sitting in a car with somebody that [censored] me in the past. I have no problem with that. I don't feel like ... Some people, when the ego [censored] them up, like, "Oh, yeah, you think you [censored] me? I'ma get you, [censored] ." I don't have that situation.

Jay Shetty 1:01:33 Mm.

Nicky Jam 1:01:34 If I love you back again, I love you back again.

Jay Shetty 1:01:36 Mm.

Nicky Jam 1:01:37 You know? It's just the way I am, you know? Uh, uh, and I, I'm, I don't want people to be like me. I, I just want people to do whatever the [censored] you do to make you happy.

Jay Shetty 1:01:46 Mm.

Nicky Jam 1:01:46 You know? Whatever to make, whatever makes you happy, just do it. That's wh- that's what I do. I ain't trying to live life the way people tell me to. I'm trying to live the way life, the way I'm happy, you know? That's just the way I am.

Jay Shetty 1:01:59 Does that apply to you as well? Do you think you can forgive yourself easily as well?

Nicky Jam 1:02:03 [sighs] You know, I've never seen me in a situation where I do not forgive ... where, where, where I need forgiveness for myself 'cause I've done people, things to people. I've been a good human being to people, you know? Stuff I done in the streets and stuff like that are to people that was really bad people, [laughs] you know? So, um, I don't know if I need their forgiveness, you know? But, uh, I feel good about me as a human being.

Jay Shetty 1:02:37 Mm.

Nicky Jam 1:02:38 You know? I'm happy and I'm proud of myself. I've helped my family. I've helped people in the streets. I've helped my friends. If I buy a motorcycle, we all have motorcycles. If, if I eat, we all eat. That's just the way I am.

Jay Shetty 1:02:53 Mm.

Nicky Jam 1:02:54 The guy on the corner, if he's there, he ain't eating, "Come eat with me." You know what I'm saying? I like helping people. I enjoy the smiles on people's face when I help them. I'm proud of myself 'cause I'm that human being.

Jay Shetty 1:03:07 Mm.

Nicky Jam 1:03:07 If I wasn't that human being, I wouldn't be. I'm not a selfish mother [censored] . I will never be that guy. I see movies where people help other people, and I cry, tears like that. My girl's been with me in the same room, and she seen me crying like, like a girl, [sniffs] in [censored] movies. Why? 'Cause I'm a good human being. When you a good human being and you see people doing good, you cry, but if you see shit like that and you don't give a [censored] -

Jay Shetty 1:03:33 Mm

Nicky Jam 1:03:33 ... I just think you a piece of shit, too.

Jay Shetty 1:03:35 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 1:03:36 That's just the way I am.

Jay Shetty 1:03:37 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 1:03:38 'Cause you don't care.

Jay Shetty 1:03:39 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 1:03:40 Why would you not care? Why would you ... W- why, why won't you see somebody helping somebody else, s- don't see that and ... Why would that, that not affect you?

Jay Shetty 1:03:50 Mm.

Nicky Jam 1:03:51 It affects me in a good way. And it's like, shit. So that ... I'm proud of myself as a human being. I'm proud of who I am. I'm proud that I like helping people. I'm proud that I'm a real person. I'm proud that I'm a person that if I [censored] up, I'll say I [censored] up. You know? That's just the way I am. And I'm not perfect, and I'll never be perfect, and I'll [censored] up tomorrow, and I'll fall, but I'll wake up, and I'll clean my shit.

Jay Shetty 1:04:17 Mm.

Nicky Jam 1:04:17 And I keep going, you know?

Jay Shetty 1:04:20 Mm.

Jay Shetty 1:04:21 Why, why did you say you were gonna retire when ... You said today, you were like, "I would, I would never have done that," and then what has inspired Insomnia? What, what part of your heart and mind is that coming from?

Nicky Jam 1:04:32 Drinking. Drinking makes you say stupid things, make, makes you get depressed, makes you see everything-

Jay Shetty 1:04:40 Everything closes in

Nicky Jam 1:04:41 ... is not really ... And that's what was going on in that situation, and it made me post a s- a thing that I was [censored] retiring. I'm not retiring, never. Hell no.

Jay Shetty 1:04:52 Mm.

Nicky Jam 1:04:52 I will never retire. Music is my life. Music is everything for me. But that's what [censored] alcohol do. It [censored] up your judgment. You know what I'm saying? [laughs] And I've been through that a lot. For some reason, it made me not care in that moment. Once I stopped drinking, I'm like, "Hell no."

Jay Shetty 1:05:10 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 1:05:10 I erased that video and everything.

Jay Shetty 1:05:12 Mm.

Nicky Jam 1:05:12 But nah, I'm not retiring. You was asking about the album?

Jay Shetty 1:05:16 Insomnia, the album. Yeah. What's that been inspired by with this whole new journey you're on right now? Like you said, you're-

Nicky Jam 1:05:20 If you listen to the whole album, Insomnia, all the songs has something to do with the nighttime, and me drinking, and me partying, and me going [censored] crazy, and me smoking, and me, uh, my love lives and stuff like that. So the album has that situation that I've been going through these last years. Music is my art of expression, and I, uh, took my time to do this album, and I think it's one of the best albums I ever done. Everything is just ... Everything has the same color. The album cover is amazing. It's really what I've been through. Like, if you see the picture, you would automatically say, "Okay, this ... I could understand him, just seeing his face." The songs from the number 1 song to the 15th song ... And not only that, apart from that, this song, Insomnia, that's the single that's coming out, for me, is gonna be a global hit 'cause I went hard on this song. It talks about the situation of my drinking and-

Jay Shetty 1:06:40 Mm

Nicky Jam 1:06:40 ... all that, but at the same time, it's a sad song, but it's a happy song. It's crazy. Like, if you listen to it, you would never imagine the way it started, 'cause it started as a slow R&B sad song. And I told my boy, the guy that, you know, wrote the song with me ... Sneaky's a badass, by the way.

Jay Shetty 1:07:01 Oh, thanks, man. [laughs]

Nicky Jam 1:07:03 I was telling him, "Yo, the song is badass, but we need a upbeat [snaps fingers] We need to make this shit upbeat, man. We need this shit ... This song is too good to be just one of the, one of the songs on the album. You know, just one of the songs. And I, I was like, "Hell no, we need to make this shit a mother [censored] hit." And I said, "Well, let's do merengue." And I was in the bathroom with my girl, and I started [censored] around, you know what I'm saying? Like, singing the song. [singing] I did it with my mouth. And I said ... I call her, I called up my producers like, "Yo, let's try to do this." And, and we took it that route.

Jay Shetty 1:07:40 Mm.

Nicky Jam 1:07:40 And bro, I think we cooked a mega hit. So I think the album is just me expressing myself of, of what I've been through these last years. And, uh, at the same time, and made good ass [censored] music.

Jay Shetty 1:07:56 Mm.

Nicky Jam 1:07:57 So I want people to enjoy it. I want people to have fun with this album and, uh, you know, sit down and analyze the lyrics, 'cause everything, every song has a little something-

Jay Shetty 1:08:08 Mm

Nicky Jam 1:08:08 ... that tells you about what I've been through and what I've been going through these last years.

Jay Shetty 1:08:12 Mm-hmm. I noticed

Jay Shetty 1:08:14 something amazing. When you started talking about the album, you went completely still.

Nicky Jam 1:08:17 When I, when I what?

Jay Shetty 1:08:17 When you started talking about the music-

Nicky Jam 1:08:19 Yeah

Jay Shetty 1:08:19 ... your whole body and le- everything went completely still.

Nicky Jam 1:08:21 [laughs]

Jay Shetty 1:08:22 Completely still. If everyone rewinds and just goes back to that, cha- you just, you, when you were locked in talking about the music and the album.

Nicky Jam 1:08:29 I mean, it's my art, man.

Jay Shetty 1:08:30 Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

Nicky Jam 1:08:30 It's my art. It, it is what, it what makes-

Jay Shetty 1:08:32 It's amazing

Nicky Jam 1:08:33 ... it's my psychology. My, my psychology? What? I just-

Jay Shetty 1:08:35 Psychology, yeah

Nicky Jam 1:08:36 ... it's my psychology, you know? And I feel like it, it, it, uh, it tells my story. It tells my situation.

Jay Shetty 1:08:44 Mm.

Nicky Jam 1:08:45 It makes me happy in a way where I could, like, express myself.

Jay Shetty 1:08:48 Mm.

Nicky Jam 1:08:49 And we're always misunderstood as artists, and there's no better way to, uh, clear the misunderstandings by your art.

Jay Shetty 1:08:59 Mm.

Nicky Jam 1:09:00 You know what I'm saying?

Jay Shetty 1:09:01 Yeah. What's something that people don't know about you that you wish they did?

Nicky Jam 1:09:05 I don't know. I, I'm so open.

Jay Shetty 1:09:08 Yeah, that's why I was, that's why I asked. I was like, you've just-

Nicky Jam 1:09:10 I'm so open

Jay Shetty 1:09:10 ... you've shared so much of your life. You're so-

Nicky Jam 1:09:11 I tell people the way I am. I don't care. I speak what I think. Uh, it's really hard.

Jay Shetty 1:09:16 What's something people misunderstand about you that you'd like to clarify?

Nicky Jam 1:09:21 It could be my situations and my relationships.

Jay Shetty 1:09:23 Mm.

Nicky Jam 1:09:24 A lot of people see me jumping around from relationship, relation- well, not jumping around, but let's say, uh, I've had a lot of relationships that haven't worked. And for some reason, people think that, uh, I just, I'm just unstable. And not necessarily unstable. I just think that, uh, sometimes it doesn't work.

Jay Shetty 1:09:42 Mm.

Nicky Jam 1:09:43 And it's not easy being a p- uh, an artist and doing what I do and having stable rela- relationships.

Jay Shetty 1:09:47 Mm.

Nicky Jam 1:09:48 And if you've seen my past and you see what I've been through, you can't expect me to have the typical picket white fence relationship. You know? It's just not the way it works, you know? I, I didn't have that in my house, so why should I have that now? And I'm always on the road, and it's just really hard. It's not like I'm a picky guy, I don't care, and I just throw away girls like nothing, you know? But I don't care about that. I don't care.

Jay Shetty 1:10:13 Mm.

Nicky Jam 1:10:13 The end of the day, people will never understand you-

Jay Shetty 1:10:18 Yeah

Nicky Jam 1:10:18 ... 100%.

Jay Shetty 1:10:19 For sure.

Nicky Jam 1:10:19 And you can't try to make people understand you.

Jay Shetty 1:10:22 Mm.

Nicky Jam 1:10:23 You don't need to.

Jay Shetty 1:10:24 Mm.

Nicky Jam 1:10:25 You know? I, I, I envy old people when they're 60 years old or 70 years old. They don't give a [censored] . They don't care. They wake up in the morning, they take their [censored] pills, they eat, go to sleep, and they don't stress about anything. But in your age and my age, we're always like, "Ah," [laughs] " [censored] life. Uh, I gotta make money."

Jay Shetty 1:10:44 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 1:10:44 "I gotta uh."

Jay Shetty 1:10:47 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 1:10:48 You know what I'm saying? Like, I wanna be them. I wanna not give a [censored] , you know? I wanna not care. I wanna just enjoy life, enjoy my friends, enjoy my family, enjoy my girl.

Jay Shetty 1:10:59 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 1:10:59 Enjoy my fans, whoever are my fans. 'Cause there's fans and there's people that are not your [censored] fans. They're just talking [censored] . Fans don't talk [censored] . Real fans are there with you-

Jay Shetty 1:11:11 Mm

Nicky Jam 1:11:11 ... no matter what you go through. If you're up, you're down, you're fat, you're skinny, dead or alive-

Jay Shetty 1:11:19 Mm

Nicky Jam 1:11:19 ... they're fans. So shout out to my real fans. I love you mother [censored] [laughs] to death.

Jay Shetty 1:11:25 For sure. For sure. How,

Jay Shetty 1:11:27 how hard was the gastric bypass surgery you went through?

Nicky Jam 1:11:31 Uh-

Jay Shetty 1:11:32 Was it very physically challenging? Was it stressful, or-

Nicky Jam 1:11:35 It was, it, it, it was stressful when I was in bed before the surgery.

Jay Shetty 1:11:38 Mm.

Nicky Jam 1:11:39 But after that, man, it was awesome.

Jay Shetty 1:11:40 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 1:11:41 I, I enjoyed. I'd do that, I'd do it again. [laughs]

Jay Shetty 1:11:44 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 1:11:44 I enjoyed it a lot, you know? Um, and it helped me a lot.

Jay Shetty 1:11:49 Mm.

Nicky Jam 1:11:49 A lot of stuff was messing up my stomach, like food that I was eating. Now I don't have that situation.

Jay Shetty 1:11:54 Wow.

Nicky Jam 1:11:55 You know, I, I feel better. I have better health. Play basketball like I'm 20 years old.

Jay Shetty 1:12:00 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 1:12:01 I'm good, you know? I feel good.

Jay Shetty 1:12:02 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 1:12:02 I, I enjoy it a lot. It helped me a lot.

Jay Shetty 1:12:04 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 1:12:05 A lot of food that I couldn't eat before, I can eat now.

Jay Shetty 1:12:07 Mm.

Nicky Jam 1:12:07 You know, healthy food. Um, so yeah. I, I mean, it, it, it was a hard process after, 'cause, you know, you're just drinking liquids and [censored] .

Jay Shetty 1:12:18 Mm.

Nicky Jam 1:12:19 But once you can start eating the, you know-

Jay Shetty 1:12:21 How long do you have to be on liquids for?

Nicky Jam 1:12:23 I think it's, like, two weeks.

Jay Shetty 1:12:24 Oh, wow.

Nicky Jam 1:12:25 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 1:12:25 Just liquids for two weeks.

Nicky Jam 1:12:26 Just liquids. Yeah, two weeks is not easy.

Jay Shetty 1:12:28 That's not easy.

Nicky Jam 1:12:29 I be eating popsicles. I was eating popsicles the whole time. I'm like pop, pop, pop.

Jay Shetty 1:12:33 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 1:12:33 I'm like popsicle.

Jay Shetty 1:12:34 [smacks lips] Nicky,

Jay Shetty 1:12:36 it's been such a joy getting to know you, man, and I appreciate the honesty, the vulnerability, and it's impressive to just see how aware you are of everything going on when you've been through so much. You've had some incredible life experience, and to be standing where you are with being, having the ability to look in a mirror and being able to see yourself and your challenges, it's, it's really special, man. So I commend you, and I respect you for that.

Nicky Jam 1:13:01 I, I, I appreciate you, and, uh-

Jay Shetty 1:13:02 Yeah

Nicky Jam 1:13:02 ... at the end of the day, this is therapy for me, too, you know?

Jay Shetty 1:13:05 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 1:13:05 So I, I appreciate you. Sometimes we need it.

Jay Shetty 1:13:07 Of course.

Nicky Jam 1:13:08 I think probably most of the times we need it, so.

Jay Shetty 1:13:10 Of course.

Nicky Jam 1:13:11 For me, having you either, you know- ... making me talk all of this makes me live a lot better and, uh, have a better day today. So I, I appreciate you so much. I hope that, uh, all the people enjoy the show and, uh, enjoy what we talk today and, uh, you know, learn from what they hear and, and see it as, as a constructive way and not a negative way, you know?

Jay Shetty 1:13:32 Mm-hmm.

Nicky Jam 1:13:32 'Cause sometimes people, they try to see things in a negative way, but, uh, like I said, I've learned this: more stupid is the stupid that argues with the stupid.

Jay Shetty 1:13:47 Mm-hmm.

Nicky Jam 1:13:49 I don't argue with stupid people anymore. I just, I ain't trying to be stupid anymore.

Jay Shetty 1:13:54 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 1:13:55 They say it like that, so I just-

Jay Shetty 1:13:57 Yeah

Nicky Jam 1:13:57 ... sit back, enjoy life, and keep going.

Jay Shetty 1:13:59 Yeah, for sure. We, we end every interview

Jay Shetty 1:14:02 with the Fast Five, which means you have to answer every question in one word to one sentence maximum. So you can have one word to one sentence for each question. So I'll ask you a Fast Five. It's a li- lightning round, so-

Nicky Jam 1:14:14 So I can say, I can answer with one word?

Jay Shetty 1:14:16 Or one sentence. You can give me one full sentence, but no more than that.

Nicky Jam 1:14:19 Okay.

Jay Shetty 1:14:19 The first question is, what is the best advice you've ever heard or received?

Nicky Jam 1:14:23 Live life.

Jay Shetty 1:14:25 Second question, what is the worst advice you've ever heard or received?

Nicky Jam 1:14:29 Don't live in Colombia.

Jay Shetty 1:14:30 [laughs] Did someone say that to you?

Nicky Jam 1:14:32 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 1:14:33 That's funny. How many times did you hear that?

Nicky Jam 1:14:35 A lot.

Jay Shetty 1:14:35 Okay.

Nicky Jam 1:14:36 And they said I was stupid. I was p- p- I was like, literally, like I was gonna mess up my career, and look, look what it gave me.

Jay Shetty 1:14:44 Question number three, your funniest memory or the silliest memory you have. You can give more than one sentence.

Nicky Jam 1:14:50 Oh, I have a funny story. [laughs]

Jay Shetty 1:14:54 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 1:14:57 The way I threw you.

Speaker 1:14:58 [laughs] So funny.

Nicky Jam 1:15:01 So I'm at this club, right?

Jay Shetty 1:15:01 She's laughing, so it's good.

Nicky Jam 1:15:03 Yeah, yeah.

Jay Shetty 1:15:03 It's a good story, yeah.

Nicky Jam 1:15:04 I'm at this club, right? I'm at... This, this happened in, in... It's a kinda long story though, a little long story.

Jay Shetty 1:15:08 Yeah, tell us. Yeah, go for it.

Nicky Jam 1:15:09 Yeah, so I'm at this club, right, and I- I'm, I'm, I'm at a VIP party. There's some girls there and stuff like that, and this big strong guy, he was ripped like this. He had so many muscles. He looked like a bodybuilder or something like that, and he's like, "Yo, I wanna go into the VIP." And I didn't really want him to come in 'cause I, I, I knew he was problems. You know what I'm saying? So I'm tr- I'm like, "Yo, you... I don't know. I don't work here. You talk to the, to the, to the bouncers." And he looks at me, and he's like, "I'm going to destroy you."

Jay Shetty 1:15:41 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 1:15:42 I'm like, "What the [censored] you said?" He said, "I'm going to destroy you."

Jay Shetty 1:15:46 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 1:15:47 I'm like, "Shit." I'm like, "What?" And I punched him. Boom. And he goes, "This is the best you have?"

Jay Shetty 1:15:56 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 1:15:58 I'm like, "Yeah."

Jay Shetty 1:15:59 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 1:16:00 I'm like, "It didn't hurt."

Jay Shetty 1:16:02 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 1:16:03 So he punched me really hard. Boom. And he punches me really hard, and then he takes me against the wall with my neck like that, and he's, and he's hitting me. And then I'm, I'm, I'm calling my boys, and my boys are not looking at me. And then my-

Jay Shetty 1:16:17 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 1:16:17 I had a watch in that moment and, a very big heavy watch, and I take the watch, and I hit him in the head with the watch.

Jay Shetty 1:16:24 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 1:16:24 And he doesn't let- he still doesn't let go of me. He has blood coming out, and then the bouncers pick him up. The bouncers take him, and then when the bouncers take him, I go like, it's like, "You see? You don't mess with me." And then they, they let him go, and I'm like, "Yo, take him. Get him again."

Jay Shetty 1:16:35 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 1:16:36 "Get him again," and they pick him up. And then we get into this limo, right? We get to the limo, and we... Well, imagine how old this story is. I'm in a limo. I'm, I'm telling my boys like, "Yo, bro, you guys didn't help me. This guy [censored] me up." And he's like, he's like... And then out of nowhere, they throw a bottle at the limo. And then the little Mexican dude's like, "Hey, this guy wants some problem, ese." And I'm like, "Yo, yo, yo, yo, you don't understand. This guy is not a human being. Do not stop."

Jay Shetty 1:17:01 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 1:17:02 "I hit him with everything, watches, everything. It's not a human being."

Jay Shetty 1:17:05 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 1:17:06 And, um, he wanted to stop. He wanted to fight with the guy, but I knew the guy was n-

Jay Shetty 1:17:11 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 1:17:11 The guy was a Hulk. You know what I'm saying? So they take me to the hotel. You know what I'm saying? I'm all hurt and shit. I'm in the bed. And then out of nowhere, I hear the door going boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. And I hear, "Te voy a destruir." Like, "I'm gonna destroy you." And I started... [crying]

Jay Shetty 1:17:27 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 1:17:28 "I'm trying. What did I do to you, bro?" Like I'm screaming and all that. Then it was my boys. They were making fun of me.

Jay Shetty 1:17:35 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 1:17:36 They were making fun of me, man.

Jay Shetty 1:17:37 That's awesome. Uh.

Nicky Jam 1:17:38 But the story doesn't end there.

Jay Shetty 1:17:39 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 1:17:40 Years go by. Years go by. I'm talking about, I don't know, probably like 10 years. I don't know, 12 years. I'm at, I'm at, uh, Gran, uh, Canarias where I'm, where I had this situation. And guess who I found next to me? This guy comes to me, strong. Not that, not as strong as that time, and he's like, "You know who I am?" And I'm like, "Nah, man." He's like, "I'm that guy from that club you had a problem." I'm like, "Oh, yeah, the, uh, you're gonna... You're the destroying guy." And he's like, "Oh, yeah, yeah."

Jay Shetty 1:18:13 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 1:18:14 He's like, "I'm sorry. I just want to say I'm sorry. Uh, you know, the steroid use was messing with me, and, and I got messed up. And I just want to say that if you ever need security, you have me," and blah, blah, blah. And then he became my friend.

Jay Shetty 1:18:26 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 1:18:26 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 1:18:27 And now he's outside as your security. No. [laughs]

Nicky Jam 1:18:29 No, I wish, I wish the story was that cool, but nah, nah.

Jay Shetty 1:18:32 [laughs] That's awesome.

Nicky Jam 1:18:33 But that's just one of the stories-

Jay Shetty 1:18:34 That's a good-

Nicky Jam 1:18:35 ... of 100 stories I could tell you, but I have-

Jay Shetty 1:18:36 That's a good story, man

Nicky Jam 1:18:37 ... I have so many stories, man.

Jay Shetty 1:18:38 That was a good pick. I like that.

Nicky Jam 1:18:39 [laughs]

Jay Shetty 1:18:39 That was a great story. It was worth it. I loved it. Uh, question number four, what chapter title would you give this phase of your life? If it was a chapter in your book, what would this chapter title be called?

Nicky Jam 1:18:51 Insomnia.

Jay Shetty 1:18:52 Hmm. Nice. And question number five, it's the question we ask to every guest who's ever been on the show. Final question. Uh, if you could create one rule or one law that everyone in the world had to follow, what would it be?

Nicky Jam 1:19:05 Everybody give yourselves a hug.

Jay Shetty 1:19:07 Hmm.

Nicky Jam 1:19:08 That would be my rule.

Jay Shetty 1:19:10 I like that.

Nicky Jam 1:19:11 Everybody give yourselves a hug. That would just be my rule, 'cause I think the world needs a hug.

Jay Shetty 1:19:16 Hmm.

Nicky Jam 1:19:17 This world's going [censored] crazy, and every day it's going more crazy, and this shit is making it more crazy. I'm sorry, Steve Jobs. We need a hug.

Jay Shetty 1:19:27 [laughs] I love it. Nicky Jam, everyone. Insomnia is out now, September 6th. Uh, Nicky, this was such a, such a joy. I've laughed. I've been reflecting with you. I feel like I've been in your pain with you. I'm so grateful that you just open up. One of the realest people I've ever met. So raw, so open.

Nicky Jam 1:19:46 I appreciate you so much.

Jay Shetty 1:19:47 So vulnerable. I'm grateful, man. I hope I get to spend more time with you, so-

Nicky Jam 1:19:50 You will

Jay Shetty 1:19:50 ... looking forward to it.

Nicky Jam 1:19:51 If you ever go to Miami, hit me up.

Jay Shetty 1:19:53 I will let you know now. Yeah, for sure.

Nicky Jam 1:19:54 I promise I won't drink.

Jay Shetty 1:19:55 [laughs]

Nicky Jam 1:19:56 [laughs]

Jay Shetty 1:19:56 You can drink, man. You can do whatever you like.

Nicky Jam 1:19:58 I'm joking, man.

Jay Shetty 1:19:59 Yeah.

Nicky Jam 1:19:59 I'm joking.

Jay Shetty 1:19:59 Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

Nicky Jam 1:20:01 Thank you.

Jay Shetty 1:20:01 Thank you, man.

Nicky Jam 1:20:02 All right, my friend.

Jay Shetty 1:20:02 If this is the year that you're trying to get creative, you're trying to build more, I need you to listen to this episode with Rick Rubin on how to break into your most creative self, how to use unconventional methods that lead to success, and the secret to genuinely loving what you do. If you're trying to find your passion and your lane, Rick Rubin's episode is the one for you.

Speaker 1:20:25 Just because I like it, that doesn't give it any value. Like, as an artist, if you like it, that's all of the value. That's the success comes when you say, "I like this enough for other people to see it."