| ...Distinto a los demás | |
| Type: | ep |
| Artist: | Nicky Jam |
| Cover: | Distinto_A_Los_Demas.jpg |
| Released: | 1995 |
| Recorded: | 1994–1995 |
| Genre: | Reggaeton |
| Length: | 26:08 |
| Label: | F&K Records |
| Next Title: | Haciendo Escante |
| Next Year: | 2001 |
...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]
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.[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]