Reggaeton pioneer Nicky Jam is set to receive the special Hall of Fame award at the 2022 Billboard Latin Music Awards show. The “Sin Novia” singer will also perform at the event later this month on Sep. 29.
According to Billboard’s announcement, the award recognizes “the reggaetón artist, actor and entrepreneur for his prolific work that transcends musical genres and languages.”
Nicky Jam has released a trove of hits and bangers. He’s had five No. 1 songs on the Hot Latin Songs chart, and 17 songs on the top 10 of the same chart. Among his chart-performing songs are some of his best-known tracks like the 2015 Enrique Iglesias collab “El Perdón,” which peaked at No. 1 for 30 weeks, and “Hasta El Amanecer,” which also peaked at No. 1 in 2016 for 18 weeks.
Nick Rivera Camino, professionally known as Nicky Jam, began his career at the young age of 11 while working at a grocery store. After a customer noticed him rapping about the items he was bagging, he was invited to a recording studio. His career really picked up in the late 1990s when Nicky Jam joined Los Cangris alongside Daddy Yankee. The duo split in 2004 after drama and beef that manifested as indirect punchlines in songs and escalated to a full-on diss track. The two eventually overcame the beef and remain lifelong friends.
One fan took to Twitter to congratulate the artist, who he said was long overdue for some recognition.
The part-Puerto Rican, part-Dominican artist joins the ranks of past Hall of Fame inductees, including Marco Antonio Solis, Jose Jose, Daddy Yankee, Ivy Queen, and Vicente Fernandez. Other artists being honored with special awards this year at the Billboard Latin Music Awards include Christina Aguilera and Chayanne.
This year’s show on Sep. 29 coincides with Billboard’s Latin Music Week in Miami, which starts Sep. 26. Nicky Jam will speak during the conference and also perform alongside Maluma, Grupo Firme, and Ozuna.