...Distinto a los demás
...Distinto a los demás | ||||
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EP by | ||||
Released | 1995 | |||
Recorded | 1994–1995 | |||
Genre | Reggaeton | |||
Length | 26:08 | |||
Label | F&K Records | |||
Nicky Jam chronology | ||||
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...Distinto a los demás is the debut extended play by American singer Nicky Jam.[1] Released in 1995,[2] he was 14 years old when he recorded the album.[3][4]
Background and history
[edit]Nicky Jam was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts to a Dominican mother and Puerto Rican father.[5][6] While in Massachusetts, he developed an affinity for hip-hop, specifically East Coast acts Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch and LL Cool J.[7] When Nicky Jam was ten years old, his family moved to the Río Hondo suburb of San Juan, Puerto Rico.[7][8]
Nicky Jam initially experienced culture shock upon moving to Puerto Rico, having never spoken Spanish before arriving to the island.[6][9] Despite the difficult start, he quickly made friends in his neighborhood and after spending time in the streets as a middle schooler, was inspired to pursue a musical career.[6] He also used Caribbean hip-hop and reggaeton as a way to help him polish his Spanish-language skills.[7] He originally went by the moniker "Nick MC", but changed it to Nicky Jam after a neighborhood homeless man gave him the unsolicited comment, "You ain't Nick MC, you're Nicky Jam".[7]
While working at the Pueblo Xtra discount grocery store at age eleven, he passed time by rapping about the items he was bagging, which impressed a customer who invited him to record with a local indie label.[8][7] He subsequently signed a contract without reading it and received no advance money for his recordings.[7] He recorded and released ...Distinto a los demás in 1995 at age thirteen.[2][6][3] He endured a difficult breakup with his girlfriend shortly after the EP's release and the emotional pain of the experience led him to try cocaine for the first time at age fifteen.[3] Nicky Jam reflected on the experience by saying: "[I thought], 'why am I going to take care of myself? My dad didn't handle his drug problems. My mom did drugs too, so why not me?' I mean, I had drugs all around me, and the foundation of everything is your home. It's your family."[3]
Track listing
[edit]- "Distinto A Los Demás (Feat. Baby Gringo)"
- "El Corazón Me Duele (Feat. Baby Doc)"
- "Mi Estilo Predomino"
- "Si Te Metes Conmigo"
- "Música, Estilo & Motivación"
- "Compton Styles From Puerto Rico"
- "Gotta Get It (Feat. Fresh J)"
- "Sigo Potente"
References
[edit]- ^ "Nicky Jam Intimo: Lanza nuevo disco con Ozuna, J Balvin y Anuel AA | Instagram". November 2019.
- ^ a b "Nicky Jam lamenta el fallecimiento de un amigo". Primera Hora (in Spanish). September 11, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Estevez, Marjua (February 14, 2020). "Nicky Jam: A Love Supreme". Vibe. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
- ^ "Así sonaba Nicky Jam en su faceta de "El Niño Raggamuffin"". Heabbi.com (in Spanish). December 14, 2018. Archived from the original on June 8, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
- ^ Birchmeier, Jason. "Nicky Jam - Biography". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
- ^ a b c d Exposito, Suzy (January 30, 2020). "The First Time with Nicky Jam". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Katz, Jesse (February 16, 2017). "48 Hours With Nicky Jam In MedellÍn: How the City Helped Him Quit Drugs & Get Back on Top". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
- ^ a b Murray, Nick (October 29, 2015). "How Nicky Jam Triumphed Over Drugs, Weight Gain and Beef With Daddy Yankee: 'I Was Too Young'". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
- ^ Caramanica, Jon (January 18, 2018). "For Nicky Jam, a Second Chance at Stardom as Reggaeton Surges Again". The New York Times. Retrieved April 17, 2020.