Born Nick Rivera Caminero on March 17, 1981, in Boston, Massachusetts, Jam moved with his family to Barrio Obrero, Puerto Rico, at age ten. His father is Puerto Rican and his mother is Dominican. Like many of his generation, Jam initially got into the reggaeton scene during the 1990s and made a name for himself on the mixtape circuit. Most notably, he can be heard on some of the seminal mixtapes helmed by DJ Playero around the turn of the century. Early solo albums such as Haciendo Escante (2001), featuring fellow DJ Playero protégé Daddy Yankee on the title track, established him as a rising star amid the reggaeton scene, but it wasn't until Vida Escante (2004) that he broke through to a mainstream audience, particularly once the album was re-released with bonus material in 2005. His follow-up album, The Black Carpet (2007), proved similarly popular, spawning his biggest hit to date, "Gas Pela," featuring RKM.

Despite Jam's success, he felt he could do more, and decided to move to Colombia in 2010. It proved to be just the career rejuvenation he needed, resulting in a parade of underground hits including "Tu Primera Vez," "Curiosidad," and "Voy a Beber." By 2014 he was charting consistently again, first with the single "Travesuras" and then in early 2015 with "Si Tu No Estas." In the spring of 2015, his duet with Enrique Iglesias on "El Perdon" became his first single to hit number one on the Latin charts, and crossed over to the pop charts. ~ Jason Birchmeier