Most frequent collaboratorJuan Diego Medina · 69 tracks
GenresReggaetonLatin PopLatin Trap
Artist
95%
Authorship
Holds writing credit on 95 of 100 tracks
Does Nicky Jam write his own songs?
Yes. He is credited as a writer on every track of Fénix (2017), and his listed occupations are singer, songwriter and record producer. Reggaeton credits are collective by habit, so his name usually sits in a block that takes in the producer and any guest artist: "El Amante" is credited to him, his manager Juan Diego Medina and Cristhian Mena "Saga WhiteBlack", who also produced it, while the album version of "El Perdón" adds Enrique Iglesias. The single credit for "El Perdón" lists him with Lil' Eddie, and Iglesias told Billboard that although he usually writes or co-writes what he sings, he did not provide songwriting on that track, which began as a Nicky Jam solo song. The writing has been recognized in its own right as well, with a nomination for Songwriter of the Year at the Billboard Latin Music Awards (2016). His documented credits are fullest from Fénix onward, which is also the point at which he rebuilt the catalog.
By the Numbers
6
Studio Albums
100
Tracks Credited
95%
Self-Written
31
Years Active
266
Collaborators
Authorship Breakdown 95 / 100 self-written
Who wrote the songs?
Across all 100 tracks: how many Nicky Jam wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.
Nicky Jam has a writing credit95%
6%
89%
5%
Sole author6tracks6%
Co-written89tracks89%
Outside writers5tracks5%
Role Fingerprint how they contribute
Nicky Jam's roles across the catalogue
Share of all 100 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.
Lyricist (words)95%
Composer (music)95%
Producer0%
Performer99%
Authorship Over Time writing credit per album
Nicky Jam's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.
avg 95%
88%
92%
100%
100%
100%
100%
2004Vida escante
2007The Black Carpet
2017Fénix
2019Íntimo
2021Infinity
2024Insomnio
Early · 89% written
Mid · 100% written
Late · 100% written
Authorship by Decade track-weighted
89%
2000s
Vida escante, The Black Carpet
100%
2010s
Fénix, Íntimo
100%
2020s
Infinity, Insomnio
Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author
Where Nicky Jam sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.
Nicky Jam
Other artists on the site
Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.
Written by R.K.M., Nicky Jam, José Luis Nieves Jaime, Nick Rivera Caminero
Co-wrote
Ton Ton Ton
The Black Carpet
Written by Xavier Semper, Weezy Kingz, Ken-Y, Rafael Pina, R.K.M., Nicky Jam, Kenny Vázquez, José Luis Nieves Jaime, Nick Rivera Caminero
Co-wrote
El Perdón
Fénix
Written by Nicky Jam, Juan Diego Medina, Saga WhiteBlack, Enrique Iglesias, Nick Rivera Caminero, Christian Mena, Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler
Co-wrote
Hasta el Amanecer
Fénix
Written by Nicky Jam, Juan Diego Medina, Saga WhiteBlack, Nick Rivera Caminero, Christian Mena
Co-wrote
El Amante
Fénix
Written by Nicky Jam, Juan Diego Medina, Saga WhiteBlack, Nick Rivera Caminero, Christian Mena
Co-wrote
Si Tú la Ves
Fénix
Written by Nicky Jam, Juan Diego Medina, Wisin, Saga WhiteBlack, Johnattan Ballesteros, Nick Rivera Caminero, Juan Luis Morera Luna, Christian Mena
Co-wrote
X
Íntimo
Written by Nicky Jam, J Balvin, Jeon, Nick Rivera Caminero, José Álvaro Osorio Balvín, Giordano Ashruf, Jonathan Bryan Thiel, Rashid Badloe, Shareef Badloe, Juan Diego Medina
Co-wrote
Te Robaré
Íntimo
Written by Nicky Jam, Ozuna, Chris Jedi, Gaby Music, Dímelo Ninow, Joel "The Gold Letter", Nick Rivera Caminero, Juan Carlos Ozuna Rosado, Carlos Enrique Ortíz Rivera, Juan G. Rivera Vasquez, Nino Segarra Jr., Johnatan Ballesteros, Vicente Saavedra, Juan Diego Medina
Co-wrote
Atrévete
Íntimo
Written by Nicky Jam, Sech, Dímelo Flow, Rike Music, Jhon El Diver, Nick Rivera Caminero, Carlos Isaías Morales, Jhonattan Reyes, Jorge Valdés Vázquez, Joshua Javier Méndez, Juan Diego Medina, Manuel Enrique Cortés Cleghorn
Co-wrote
Whine Up
Íntimo
Written by Nicky Jam, Anuel AA, Saga WhiteBlack, Reggi "El Auténtico", Nick Rivera Caminero, Emmanuel Gazmey Santiago, Christian Mena, Rafael Regginalds Aponte Blanco, Juan Diego Medina, Rene Da Silva
Co-wrote
Polvo
Infinity
Written by Rios, Sencillo305, Sky Rompiendo, Nicky Jam, Myke Towers, Nick Rivera Caminero, Alejandro Ramírez Suárez, Michael Anthony Torres Monge
Co-wrote
Fan de tus fotos
Infinity
Written by Sky Rompiendo, Rios, Saga WhiteBlack, Sencillo305, Juan Diego Medina, Julián Turizo, Nicky Jam, Romeo Santos, Nick Rivera Caminero, Alejandro Ramírez Suárez, Anthony Santos
Co-wrote
Pikete
Infinity
Written by Juan Diego Medina, O'Neill, Slow Mike, Nicky Jam, El Alfa, Nick Rivera Caminero, Emanuel Herrera Batista
Co-wrote
Miami
Infinity
Written by Santo Niño, Neneto, Slow Mike, JØWNY, Juan Diego Medina, Sencillo305, Rios, Dímelo Flow, DJ Luian, Xavier Semper, Weezy Kingz, Nicky Jam, Nick Rivera Caminero, Jorge Valdés Vázquez, Luian Malavé Nieves
Co-wrote
Magnum
Infinity
Written by Juno Watt, Juan Diego Medina, Jorgie Milliano, Nicky Jam, Jhay Cortez, Nick Rivera Caminero, Jesús Manuel Nieves Cortés
Co-wrote
69
Insomnio
Written by Nicky Jam, Feid, Caleb Calloway, Rolo, Édgar Barrera, Bastian, Juan Diego Medina, Rios, Nick Rivera Caminero, Salomón Villada Hoyos
Co-wrote
LA CYBER
Insomnio
Written by Nicky Jam, Luar La L, Juan Diego Medina, Jorgie Milliano, Rios, Nick Rivera Caminero, Raúl Armando del Valle Robles
Co-wrote
None of the signature songs above fall in this category.
Discography 6 albums
The three compilation albums and the two EPs sit outside the studio catalogue and are not listed. The Los Cangris records he made with Daddy Yankee are credited to that duo rather than to him alone, so they are not listed here either.
Bubble size = tracks worked on together. Showing the 150 most frequent of 258. JD Juan Diego Medina · SW Saga WhiteBlack · CM Christian Mena · R Rios · JM Jorgie Milliano · RP Rafael Pina
The Authorship Story
Data Insight
Nicky Jam's catalogue splits cleanly at Fénix. The two early albums are the only place he writes alone, six tracks on the 2004 debut Vida Escante, and they are also where the record thins out: two tracks name no writer at all and three more credit nobody from the act. Juan Diego Medina is the largest presence after Nicky Jam himself, on 69 of the 100 tracks, with Saga WhiteBlack at 22 and Christian Mena at 19. From 2017 on, every album is fully co-written and fully documented. All the gaps in this catalogue are in the 2000s.
Quick Facts
Los CangrisThe duo he formed with Daddy Yankee, active from the late 1990s until the two fell out in 2004
The Medellín rebuildHe moved to Medellín in 2007 to stop using drugs, and Fénix in 2017 was his first studio album since The Black Carpet
"El Perdón" chart runSpent 30 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart, behind only Enrique Iglesias' own "Bailando"
Screen rolesLazarus in xXx: Return of Xander Cage, Zway-Lo in Bad Boys for Life, and the voice of Butch Cat in Tom & Jerry
Netflix seriesHe starred in and executive produced Nicky Jam: El Ganador, the biographical series that premiered in November 2018
CitizenshipUnited States and Colombia
Creative Fingerprint
His authorship sits inside the credit block rather than beside it: he is a listed writer on every track of Fénix, sharing all of them with his manager Juan Diego Medina and most of them with producer Cristhian Mena, the working unit that moved the melodic, vallenato-shaped songs he built in Medellín into a catalog whose hard-hitting dembow had stopped in 2007.
The Story
Nicky Jam is an American singer, born Nick Rivera Caminero in Lawrence, Massachusetts in 1981. He started young in Puerto Rico, recorded as half of Los Cangris with Daddy Yankee, then spent years out of the picture before rebuilding a career from Medellín. Fénix in 2017 carried "El Perdón", "Hasta el Amanecer" and "El Amante" and went to number one on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart.
Awards & Recognition
Latin Grammy Award for Best Urban Performance, won for "El Perdón" with Enrique Iglesias (2015)
Latin Grammy Award for Album of the Year, nominated for Fénix (2017)
Latin Grammy Award for Best Urban Fusion/Performance, nominated for "El Amante" (2017)
Latin Grammy Award for Best Urban Song, nominated for "El Amante" (2017)
Billboard Music Award for Top Latin Song, won for "El Perdón" with Enrique Iglesias (2016)
Billboard Music Award for Top Latin Song, won for "Hasta el Amanecer" (2017)
Billboard Latin Music Award for Hot Latin Songs Artist of the Year, Male, won (2017)
Billboard Latin Music Award for Latin Rhythm Songs Artist of the Year, Solo, won (2016)
Billboard Latin Music Award for Songwriter of the Year, nominated (2016)
Hall of Fame award at the Billboard Latin Music Awards, inducted (2022)
iHeartRadio Music Award for Latin Artist of the Year, won (2017)
Premio Lo Nuestro for Urban Artist of the Year, won (2016)
Latin American Music Award for Song of the Year, won for "El Perdón" with Enrique Iglesias (2015)
Frequently Asked Questions Nicky Jam
Does Nicky Jam write his own songs?
Yes. He is credited as a writer on every track of Fénix (2017), and his listed occupations are singer, songwriter and record producer. Reggaeton credits are collective by habit, so his name usually sits in a block that takes in the producer and any guest artist: "El Amante" is credited to him, his manager Juan Diego Medina and Cristhian Mena "Saga WhiteBlack", who also produced it, while the album version of "El Perdón" adds Enrique Iglesias. The single credit for "El Perdón" lists him with Lil' Eddie, and Iglesias told Billboard that although he usually writes or co-writes what he sings, he did not provide songwriting on that track, which began as a Nicky Jam solo song. The writing has been recognized in its own right as well, with a nomination for Songwriter of the Year at the Billboard Latin Music Awards (2016). His documented credits are fullest from Fénix onward, which is also the point at which he rebuilt the catalog.
Who writes with him most often?
Juan Diego Medina, the manager who backed his comeback in Medellín, is a co-writer on every track of Fénix. Cristhian Mena, who works as Saga WhiteBlack, is on most of them, including "El Amante", "Hasta el Amanecer", "Si Tú la Ves", "Tu Hombre" with Daddy Yankee and both language versions of "El Perdón". Johnattan Ballesteros, Urbani Mota and Jorge Luis Romero recur across the same album.
Who produces his music?
Saga WhiteBlack is the closest thing he has to a house producer and handled more of Fénix than anyone else. The rest of that album was split among Yhoan Manuel Jiménez Londoño, Johnattan Gaviria, Urbani Mota, Jorge Luis Romero, Egbert Rosa Cintron, Rvssian, Jowan, Supa Dups, Pedro Reynoso, Banx & Ranx, Carlos "Maffio" Peralta, Carlos Paucar and Jorge Fonseca.
Why do reggaeton songs list so many writers?
The producer is normally a writer too, and every featured artist brings their own names into the credit. "Amor Prohibido" on Fénix adds Sean Paul and Konshens, "Superhéroe" adds J Balvin and his co-writers, and "Por el Momento" adds Plan B. Take the guests and the producers out and the constant across the album is Nicky Jam with Juan Diego Medina.
Did he keep writing during the years his career collapsed?
He never stopped releasing music, though almost none of it landed. Between 2005 and 2009 he turned up on productions by Don Omar, R.K.M. & Ken-Y, Álex Gárgolas, DJ Joe and Yaga & Mackie, put out The Black Carpet in 2007, and released "Mucho Más" with Wolfine in 2009. Drug addiction kept him away from recording for long stretches, and the hotel lounge work he took in that period is where he learned to sing rather than only rap.
How did his writing change after Medellín?
He has said his compositions were heavily influenced by the romantic and melancholy lyrics of Colombian vallenato set against Puerto Rican rhythm, and he names Silvestre Dangond and Carlos Vives among the artists who shaped that. The shift is audible in the songs: sung vocals and romantic lyrics took over from the fast, hard-hitting dembow of his early records.
Did Enrique Iglesias write "El Perdón"?
It began as a Nicky Jam solo track. Iglesias came in after the two spoke and agreed to re-record it as a duet, and he told Billboard that he usually writes or co-writes the songs he sings but did not provide songwriting here. The Fénix track listing does place him among the writers of both the Spanish version and the English "Forgiveness".
How much of Fénix carries his name?
All of it, on paper. He appears in the writing credit of every track, including his first English-language songs "Without You" and "I Can't Forget You" and the remixes that close the record. The album also took its cover from a mural of him painted in Medellín by a collective without his knowledge, which he adopted after they tagged him on Instagram.
Who are his regular collaborators on record?
Daddy Yankee, J Balvin, Ozuna, Plan B and Anuel AA recur most. Fénix alone features Plan B, Sean Paul, Konshens, J Balvin, Wisin, El Alfa, Cosculluela, Daddy Yankee, Messiah, MineK, Arcángel, Valentino, Enrique Iglesias and Kid Ink, and Íntimo brought in Anuel AA, Darell, Rauw Alejandro, Sech, Ozuna and J Balvin.
Has his songwriting been recognized by awards?
He was nominated for Songwriter of the Year at the Billboard Latin Music Awards (2016). "El Perdón" won Best Urban Performance at the Latin Grammy Awards (2015), "El Amante" was nominated for Best Urban Song at the Latin Grammy Awards (2017), and Fénix was nominated for Album of the Year at the Latin Grammy Awards (2017).
Nicky Jam