Nicky Jam’s voice work for ‘Tom and Jerry’
Rappers have long boasted about their lives being a movie, but for Nicky Jam, it’s not just a flex. The reggaeton veteran famously tells his life story in “El Ganador,” a 13-episode dramatized series that arrived on Netflix last year (following a well-received bow on Telemundo in 2018) and features the artist playing himself. And the cameras haven’t stopped rolling.
Born Nick Rivera Caminero, the 39-year-old has since added several credits to his burgeoning acting career, which officially began in 2017 with a cameo opposite Vin Diesel in “XXX: Return of Xander Cage.” His latest role, in Warner Bros.’ “Tom and Jerry,” finds the singer lending his voice (in both English and Spanish) to Butch, the street-smart alley cat who often plays nemesis to Tom.
Like many 1980s kids, Nicky Jam — a Massachusetts native who later moved to Puerto Rico with his family — says he grew up watching the classic cartoon. “I never in my life would imagine I would be part of a project that had anything to do with ‘Tom and Jerry,’” he said. “Anything that has to do with the children is a blessing from God, because they are the future.”
The movie’s target demographic is also, he says, a sign that “you made it.” And that’s especially fitting for Nicky Jam, who found success as a teen crooner and collaborator of Daddy Yankee before addiction threatened to derail his career. It was a move to Colombia in 2008 that set him on the path to his triumphant comeback, including his aptly named 2017 album “Fénix,” which topped Billboard’s Latin Albums chart and marked the singer’s first appearance on the Billboard 200.
Q: “Tom and Jerry” marks your first voice-acting role. What was that experience like?
A: (The voice-over) was not easy to do in Spanish because the cartoons were already made, and I had to look at the movement of the (character’s) mouth so I could be exact when I did it in Spanish.
In English, it was easier because the cartoon wasn’t done yet. So I just gave it my vibe and the way I would say it. I am a New Yorker. I am from the streets. I have those street slang accents. So it’s really easy to make a black alley cat turn into Nicky Jam — it’s not a big deal.
Q: You spent your early childhood in Lawrence, Mass. I know you mentioned New York, but did you lend any New England flair to Butch’s voice?
A: My accent is a little bit more New York because I lived in New York when I was a teenager. So my slang and the way I talk is more New York, even though I represent Lawrence and I’m from Massachusetts and everybody knows it.
But in a way, when I listen to somebody from Lawrence, we sound like we’re from New York, too. They have a New York vibe — any Dominican, Puerto Rican raised in Lawrence. New York has a little bit stronger accent, like New Yawk. But it’s similar.
Q: What’s next for your career in Hollywood, which has included acting and an executive producer credit on “El Ganador”? Do you want to direct?Of course, 100 percent.
A:
I’m really focused . ... I just want to show the world all the magic and talent that I have, and I think it’s happening little by little, step by step. People have seen what I do in music. But I think people need to see everything I can do in the acting world as well.
I’m just enjoying it and enjoying the process. And the challenge — because it’s a new challenge.
Q: You’re a pioneer of reggaeton and urbano. And you were doing reggaeton when it was underground, and now it’s grown into this global phenomenon. What’s it like to have that longevity and to have your career on both sides of that?
A: It’s like a proud father — reggaeton, it’s my baby. I love it. I’m one of the architects of this music for more than 25 years. I knocked on doors, and I tried to make people listen to our music, and people rejected and threw my CDs out the window and ignored us for a long time. To see what’s going on today and to see how these young kids are making it, and they’re flying private planes and they’re doing a lot of collaborations with big companies like Calvin Klein and Jordan — all these things are things that I dreamed about — me, Daddy Yankee and a lot of singers that are from that era. And to see that it’s happening today is just beautiful.
Q: You’ve collaborated with several artists that are sort of the second generation of reggaeton stars. Is there anyone you’re particularly excited about or that you feel has helped move the genre’s sound forward?
A: I mean, all of them. I respect Bad Bunny. I think that Bad Bunny is a genius. Since the first day I heard him — years ago, before he was big — I knew he was going to be a legend in what he does. He set the tone for the new vibe and new music. Ozuna has done so much, as well.
J Balvin — oh, my God, he’s like the like the Spanish Pharrell. He brings so much energy. His music is so good, and he knows how to maintain himself. He has that Drake vibe where years go by but, you know, he don’t stop. I’m proud of everybody. I can’t say one in particular. All of them are just doing great jobs. I’m just happy that I’ve been a part of all their journeys.