Nicky Jam Breaks Down His Tattoos

Nicky Jam got his first tattoo when he was 10-years-old and unsurprisingly his dad wasn't very happy about it.

From the tattoo of his mom on his arm to the neck tattoo he got when he was in Colombia, Nicky Jam breaks down all of his ink.

- Real answer, I got my first tattoowhen I was 10 years old.10 years old, it was a bad thing,but my dad saw it and he was nervous'cause obviously having atattoo when you're 10 years oldgoing to school with atattoo is not a good thing.[upbeat music]Yeah I was 10 years oldwhen I had my first tattoo.It was like the ugliestthing in the world.It was just a letter of my brother.My dad he punished me and obviouslytold my brother this crazy guyjust did a tat, he did theletter of your name on his arm.Yeah he knew about it.- [Interviewer] And did your brother know,when you were getting it, thatyou were getting his name?- No he didn't know about that.He's a brother from my father'sside, not from my mother.He didn't live with me, so mydad called him and told him.- [Interviewer] Do youstill have that tattoo?- It's a true story, 'cause he was scaredthat social workers could take me from himand stuff like that,he did some stuff that,he put something on itthat made it kind of burn.You could see the burn butyou can't see the tattoo.- [Interviewer] Andthen how long after that'til you got your next one?- When I was 15 years old I did a tribal.Yeah, I did that, I was 15 years old.My dad was like, I mean I tried.That's what he like, somy uncle, in the '80s,he had tattoos everywhereand I fell in love with that.I said I wanted tattoos.It was weird to see somebody in the '80swith both arms done and tattooson his neck and everywhere.I mean my uncle wasalways in and out of jailbut for some reason it was,I found it sexy, you know what I'm saying?I said tattoos look, theresomething about tattoos,a lifestyle, that I want a part to be.And I always wanted to be like my uncle.Not bad, bad like myuncle, but I like his swag.So I wanted to have his swag.I was saying when I sawTupac for the first timeand I knew about him more '95 '96,he was like one of the first rappersto have tattoos everywhere.He had the thug life on his stomach,he had pretty much everywhere.That made me fall in lovewith the culture as well.I left my house whenI was 15 16 years old.So after that it waswhatever I wanted to do.So I had tattoos, Istarted doing bit by bit.I was one of the firstraggaeton artists with tattoos.I'm talking about 1998 '97,people wasn't used to that.I think one thing, one ofthe reasons why I like tattoowas 'cause I had that clean-cut face.I kinda like that combination,that clean-cut facecombined with theroughness of the tattoos.You could tell I hadsomething with tattoos'cause I kept getting them,15, 16, like every yearI would get a tattoo.Now I'm just, I don'teven have space anymore.- [Interviewer] What would yousay are your favorite ones?- I'd have to say that one ofmy mom that's in my arm here.One of me here going up some stairs,I like that one a lot.Couple more, there's a lot [laughs].I got my neck tattoowhen I was in Columbia,probably like, I could saylike seven eight years ago.I didn't really like it the first time.I even got depressed, I'm not gonna lie.'Cause it looked like I had a scarf on.It was so black and my face was so whiteand you could see theblack tattoo on my neck.And people would say whatdo you have on your neck?I went to another tattooguy and I told him thatI wanted him to do whiteall over my tattoo.And that made it betterand made it more clear.I did some stuff to add under it.It wasn't just one thing here.So it looked like a wholeartwork and then it got better.Now I like it, I like the way it is.My first tattoo on myface, I think it has to be,I did like musical notes,I started with thatthen I did the three dotsand then I kept going for more.I like doing tattooswhere not a lot of peoplelike doing them on.They're doing them because they thinkthey're gonna look crazy, you know?That's kind of my vibeand I think other peoplethat have similar tattoosprobably think the same.So this is my mom andit says I love you momand it says family on top.This is the cross.I have my daughter's name Yarimar.I have my symbol here,it's the Nicky Jam symbol,that's my brand.This is the face of my daughter.I did this when people didn'tdo faces back in 90 something.Now it looks like a little grandmother.Doesn't really look likemy daughter right now.She don't like it that much.I have the Puerto Rican Indian sun.It's just a symbolic Indian sun.I've got love on my knuckles.I have the Jam here thatconnects with the Nicky Jam.This Japanese thing, it means warrior.Stuff like that.I'm not done yet [laughs].- [Interviewer] What elsedo you plan on getting?- I'm trying to get all the space out,so I don't know, I'll probablywrite another message herelike the one I got here.- [Interviewer] What does that one say?- It says hard times don't last.Only the strong people last.I live my life like it'sgoing to be the last day,always with God.- [Interviewer] Which wereyour most painful ones,would you say?- Painful tattoos, Igotta say the knuckles.Knuckles hurt a lot, probably 'causethey're next to the bone.I have to say my chesthurt more than my neck'cause the bone is right there.The guy that did my chestwas a really strong guy,so he went hard on me.Oh yeah, here inside myarm, that hurt a lot too.- [Interviewer] Who elsebesides Tupac, would you saydid you have any kind oftattoo heroes growing up?You mentioned Tupac.- A lot of rock stars,I liked they had a vibe.Eminem had good tattoos as welland started doing a lot of tattoos.- [Interviewer] Rightnow you're in Bad Boys.You also have a newsingle with Daddy Yankee.- Well yeah, the Bad Boys thing is likeone of the best thingsthat ever happened to me'cause first of allit's a box office movie.It's not like just any movie.This is the first time I do a moviethat's number one everywhere.It's not a cameo, I'm almost,you're gonna see meuntil half of the moviedoing bad ass shit, youknow what I'm saying?Like shooting people andjumping on motorcyclesand whooping ass, so you know, like,we gonna wanna sit down at the moviesand see yourself doingthat with your family.- [Interviewer] And whatabout your new single?- The new single was ablessing 'cause Bad Boysas a franchise has beenaround for 20 years.To see that Daddy Yankee and Nicky Jamhaving done a song in 20 years,it was the perfect timingso we did this song.I knew it was gonna be a hitsince I heard the first melodies.And then I called DaddyYankee, he hopped on itand Sony Pictures toldme they wanted a songfor the soundtrack.And I said this is the song.