Nicky Jam: How to Forgive Yourself From the Past & Free Yourself From Shame and Trauma

Are you struggling to overcome your past trauma? Are you looking for ways to heal from it? Today, Jay sits down with renowned reggaeton artist and songwriter Nicky Jam. Nicky's music career took off after a series of successful mixtapes and collaborations with other artists, including Daddy Yankee, with whom he formed the iconic duo Los Cangris. His work has earned him international fame and multiple awards, establishing him as a major influence in the reggaeton and Latin trap genres. Nicky recounts his first foray into music, packing groceries and freestyling at a supermarket, which inadvertently launched his career despite his young age and the informal nature of his work. He opens up about the difficulties of his upbringing, including his mother’s struggle with substance abuse and prostitution, shaping his understanding of normalcy and family life. This background set the stage for his initial break into the music industry, where early rejections and setbacks paved the way for his eventual success in the Puerto Rican mixtape scene and beyond. Together with Jay, Nicky also discusses the challenges of maintaining authenticity and personal happiness amidst fame, expressing discomfort with being seen as a role model and emphasizing the importance of understanding and support for mental health, especially for men in the public eye. Despite ongoing struggles with PTSD, anxiety, and the scars of his traumatic past, Nicky remains hopeful and driven, looking forward to continuing his career and making a positive impact through his work and personal experiences. In this interview, you'll learn: How to handle early setbacks How to deal with the pressure of expectations How to use personal struggles as a source of strength How to maintain creativity under pressure How to find redemption through new opportunities How to help others through your work Nicky's story demonstrates that with unwavering determination and a genuine approach, it's possible to transform challenging beginnings into legacies of success and enduring influence. With Love and Gratitude, Jay Shetty What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro 03:12 Earliest Childhood Memory 04:06 First Deal 06:44 I Was Happy with the Album 08:15 Life on the Streets 12:06 There’s a Different World Out There 15:22 Looking for Billy 17:20 Simpler or Complicated Life? 19:05 Commands Don’t Work on Me 24:58 Battling Alcohol Addiction 31:06 Drug and Alcohol Problem 34:20 Finding Help 36:40 Feeling Alone 39:18 Almost Dying 42:52 Prison Life 45:59 Moving to Columbia 52:00 My Mom is Different 54:48 Do You Pray a Lot? 58:01 Reconciliation 59:49 Forgiveness 01:05:31 I’m not Retiring 01:09:24 My Album is My Story 01:10:11 Some Misunderstanding People Have 01:12:37 Surgery and Recovery 01:13:46 Talking is Therapy 01:15:12 Nicky on Fast Five Episode Resources: Nicky Jam | Website Nicky Jam | Instagram Nicky Jam | Facebook Nicky Jam | TikTok Nicky Jam | YouTube Dubbed by ElevenLabs and this link: https://elevenlabs.io/jay_shetty See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Jay Shetty?

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• 0:44Jay Shetty?

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• 1:09Speaker 01

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• 1:38Jay Shetty?

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• 2:23Jay Shetty?

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• 2:27Jay Shetty?

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• 3:10Jay Shetty?

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• 3:27Speaker 02

  I've never opened up in any of these shows about this. I don't want to be boxed as this role model just because people want to see me as a role model. I'm a human being.

• 3:35Speaker 03

  With more than three decades of hit records, awards to prove it, please welcome Nikki, Nikki, Nikki Jam, everybody.

• 3:43Jay Shetty?

  What age did you get to where you were like, oh, that's not normal?

• 3:47Speaker 02

  You're going really deep. My mom not being there made me not care about living. Now I'm gonna tell you this, though. I forgive, but I never forget.

• 3:57Jay Shetty?

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• 4:38Jay Shetty?

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• 4:51Speaker 04

  The number one health and wellness podcast. Jay Shetty.

• 4:55Speaker 05

  Jay Shetty. The one, the only Jay Shetty.

• 5:00Jay Shetty?

  What would you say is your earliest childhood memory that has defined who you are today?

• 5:06Speaker 02

  Packing groceries at the supermarket and freestyling while I was doing it. That's the way I was discovered. I would always go there because I would make $20 by quarters because they would give me always quarters every time I packed groceries.

• 5:22Speaker 02

  And I'll make $20 with that. I would buy ham, cheese, milk, cigarettes for my dad and stuff like that. And I will go every day, I will walk probably like 30 minutes to go there. And that's me, you know, always trying to like take care of my family. But at the same time, having fun while I do it, you know, rapping and doing music and making people laugh and making people having fun. That's Nicky, you know, that's, that's, that's the Nicky I always have in my mind. Even when I was in those dark moments, that's what went through my head in those moments.

• 5:53Jay Shetty?

  That's amazing. So you're packing groceries, that's your job, and you're freestyling to the customers groceries that you're packing?

• 5:59Speaker 02

  It wasn't really my job. I was, I was 12 years old. It was illegal for me to work there. But the guy, the manager from the supermarket, he would let me do it because he knew I was trying to make some money. So every now and then he'd be like, okay, nigga, you gotta go because you know, the supervisors are here, whatever. But I would like, you know, I would, I would pack groceries, I would freestyle, like, you know, the lettuce and tomatoes. And like I would, I would rap rhyme the food that I was packing. I became like a little celebrity there and people were like, yo, this is kid that he be rapping while he's packing groceries. And everybody wanted to see me over there in Puerto Rico at the supermarket in Bayamón. This lady came to me once and I was, I didn't, I, I wasn't in a rapping mood. I was just, you know, packing groceries. It was a bad day or whatever. And she looks at me and she's like, so you're not going to rap for me? And I'm like.

• 6:43Speaker 02

  Yeah, so I'll rap and I started freestyling and she was like, she was shocked because I was so, I was a kid, I was like eleven years old. And she was like, can you come with me? I'm like, no, I don't know you. And she was like, I'm like, why should I, you know, go with you? And she's like, my, my husband, he's a producer for this record label and I want him to hear you. And I'm like, okay, in that case, yes, let's go. So I got in the car with her, she took me to her husband and I started rapping for him. And next day, he was in my house with a big ass contract like this. I told my dad, it's like, I don't even know what it says. I'm like, I don't care what it says, just sign it. You know what I'm saying? I want to, I want to get my first deal.

• 7:25Speaker 02

  And that's how I got my first deal, you know, working at that supermarket. The album was whack. It was horrible. I mean, how creative can you be when you're twelve years old? I had to write all the lyrics myself and I wasn't, I wasn't really good writing in that moment. I was more a freestyler, you know?

• 7:40Jay Shetty?

  Yeah.

• 7:40Speaker 02

  Um, but I did an album, uh, it didn't sell anything. Can I curse here?

• 7:46Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, yeah, of course.

• 7:47Speaker 02

  Okay, it didn't sell shit. So, but the good thing about it, um, DJs recognized me, uh, all over Puerto Rico. The famous mixtape, uh, era was coming.

• 7:59Jay Shetty?

  Yeah.

• 7:59Speaker 02

  I started, you know, recording in these mixtapes and I became one of the, like, one of the biggest artists in the mixtape industry. You know, included Daddy Yankee, that obviously Daddy Yankee was like the, the boss in that moment in, in the mixtape. He, he was already a boss, the boss in those days. I'm talking about nineteen ninety-two, ninety-three, ninety-four, those, those years. And, uh, yeah, I mean, from the album, nothing happened with the album, but I got to be a little, I, I got to be a bigger singer and more famous in Puerto Rico because of these, uh, mixtapes.

• 8:31Jay Shetty?

  Yeah. How did you not let, like, at such a young age, I can imagine that feeling, like you're getting a record deal, you have no idea what you're signing, but then, as you said, the album was whack. How do you deal with the fact that, was there any negativity at that time? Like, no one cared?

• 8:47Speaker 02

  I was just, I was just happy I had a deal.

• 8:49Jay Shetty?

  Yeah.

• 8:49Speaker 02

  See, the thing is, in those days, the urban music, the reggaeton music was not even something that was happening. So, just for me to have an album and show people that I had an album, for me, was big.

• 9:01Jay Shetty?

  Yeah.

• 9:02Speaker 02

  I didn't care about, you know, having hits, because I didn't know about that, you know? I, I didn't, to be honest with you, I didn't even think my album was going to be a hit. You know, because I knew about the people that was doing big in those days. We had Vico C, Brule MC, all these rappers that were killing the game in the urban industry in Puerto Rico. So I know I was nothing like them. And to be honest with you, when I got to Puerto Rico, my Spanish wasn't really too good because I was born in the States. So when I got to Puerto Rico, I had to learn the language. So if you listen to that album, you know, closely, you would realize my Spanish wasn't really that good. So imagine a guy, a kid singing, writing when he's 12 years old music.

• 9:47Speaker 02

  His Spanish is not the best. Obviously, I didn't expect for it to be the best. I was just happy I had an album and I was signed.

• 9:55Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, that that's that's makes a lot of sense. I'm just trying to put myself back into that age and thinking how would I felt if I was you. But one of the things that I saw, I mean, the docu-series that you had on Netflix was incredible. Like it was super powerful. And I remember, I think it was like 2018 when it came out. But there was something that was really powerful in that there's the scene where you're you have this experience of when you run into watching your mom outside a restaurant, having sex in a car.

• 10:21Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 10:22Jay Shetty?

  Like that moment feels like a defining moment as well in your early life. Walk us through your headspace in that moment.

• 10:31Speaker 02

  Wow. Well, the reality of everything is that I lived in a street where girls were, you know, would work as prostitutes in the corners. And I would see my mom, you know, in in in in those corners. And when she got into a car, I knew what was going on. So when you're a kid and you see stuff like that, obviously it affects you, but at the same time, you think it's normal. Because you don't know better, you know? You haven't seen a different world. You only see what's going on. The only thing that would probably made me think is not normal is watching TV and seeing families on TV and stuff like that. But.

• 11:16Speaker 02

  I just thought it was my life and to be honest with you, the whole street where I was living, kids were living like that. So it was kinda like normal, you know, like, it was, it was, it was kind of like normal. The reality is, is not normal. Today, I suffer because of situations like that, you know? Even if I, I have success in my life, even if uh, I'm doing really good and stuff like that, sometimes I go back to those traumas, you know what I'm saying? I go back to those moments that uh, that affects my life. A lot of people think, as I told my story, it's done. And that's a lie. That's not the way it works, you know? You still have it there. You still have it in your head.

• 11:57Speaker 02

  And even the situation with my mom and everything I went through, living in the hood and all the stuff that I saw. You know, when people come from the war, they, they have PTSD, right? They need to get medication because of that and stuff like that. The reality is, when you live in the hood and you see all these stuff, like stuff that I saw with my mom and situations that I saw in my house and stuff that I saw in the hood about friends of mine getting shot and other people that are not my friends getting shot and stuff like that, you get PTSD too. But people don't understand that. So when you get a situation, when you go through uh, you know, back to the darkness, even if you're successful, people judge you and they're like, oh, he's back again. You saw my story. You saw what I went through.

• 12:41Speaker 02

  Why would you, why would you judge me? When I came out with my story, you said, you deserve everything you have. It's funny because I always did deserve everything I had because I worked for what I had. All those moments, especially like the moment that you just talked about, you know, my mom, because my mom, your mom as a man is everything for you. For sure. You know, she's the base of the house. She's the one that take care of you. She, you know, she, she makes you think that everything's gonna be okay. Not having that causes and affected me in every situation, even with my kids. I don't, I don't know how to give the love that I have to give because I never had it. You know, a lot of people be saying sometimes uh, yeah, I'm gonna give my kids everything I didn't have. That's not the way it works.

• 13:25Speaker 02

  If you don't know how to do it, how can you do it? It affects me in every way, but uh, the good thing, I have a good sense of humor. And uh, even in bad situations, I, I laugh and I make people laugh. I try to uh, enjoy myself the best.

• 13:43Speaker 02

  But uh, I hope that answered your.

• 13:45Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, it does. No, thank you for being so open as well and vulnerable, man. I think it's it's amazing to see that because you're so right that when you're living your life, it looks normal. What age did you get to where you were like, oh, that's not normal? Like, when, when did it kind of register where you were like, oh, wait a minute? That's not what life looks like for everyone.

• 14:04Speaker 02

  Wow, you're going really deep.

• 14:08Speaker 02

  Okay, I can say this, um. My mom used to whoop me because I used to pee in my bed, right? I don't know, she probably didn't understand it was not something that I wanted to do. It just, it happens.

• 14:22Jay Shetty?

  It's a normal thing kids do, yeah.

• 14:24Speaker 02

  I think when kids pee on their bed, I was like probably seven years old, something like that. It's just a problem that they have and automatically it happens. It's not like you wake up and it's not like you're like, I don't want to go to the bathroom. It's more like it's something that happens. You wake up and you just peed on your bed. So this uh, this kid, this white kid, uh, his name is Billy. I wish I could find him wherever he is. Billy Janetti, his name. I've been trying to look for him on Google because he was my best friend when I was a kid and I can't find him everywhere. Probably had a, his, his name was different and I knew him as Billy Janetti. He studied with me in school and everything. I stayed at his house. I stayed at his house, you know, it was, he was this kid, you know, typical white kid that had everything, you know?

• 15:08Speaker 02

  Atari, Nintendo and all that stuff and his mom had his room decorated with, you know, a boy's room with, you know, posters on the wall and stuff like that. And I stayed at his house and I peed, I peed on, on the couch where I slept. I woke up frightened because I thought I was gonna, I thought I was gonna get my ass whooped. And she comes to me and she sees me that I'm up because I've turned on the light.

• 15:34Jay Shetty?

  Billy's mom.

• 15:35Speaker 02

  Billy's mom. And um, she's like, what happened? You okay? I'm like, I'm sorry, I, I, I peed on my bed. I peed on the bed, I peed on the couch. She's like, oh, it's okay. Don't, don't worry about that. I'll take care of that. And you know, she, she gave me clothes so I could take a shower and she gave me food and she took care of the situation. I was shocked. And I was like, oh, so this is how it should be. This is how it should be. It's not, it's not a, it's not getting whooped, you know? And this is how she probably treats Billy.

• 16:13Speaker 02

  And that's when I realized that uh what was going on in my house wasn't normal. I, that situation of me uh peeing on the bed affected me so much that because of my mom doing drugs and not taking care of what was going on in the house, I would go to school with my clothes smelling like pee. And the teacher uh in front of the kids would spray me. Spray because I smell bad.

• 16:42Jay Shetty?

  With cologne.

• 16:42Speaker 02

  With uh, with the spray, with the, yeah.

• 16:46Jay Shetty?

  Deodorant.

• 16:46Speaker 02

  Yeah, and she would spray me in front of everybody. Obviously, the kids would laugh and, and that affected me as well, obviously, because it's embarrassing, you know, like in front of everybody. That's how important it is for the parents to do their job and take care of the kids, you know, because it's just, you know, it's not, it's not something that a, a kid should go through, you know?

• 17:09Jay Shetty?

  Hmm, hmm. Why do you want to reconnect with Billy? What would you, what, what makes you want to reach out?

• 17:14Speaker 02

  Well, he was my best friend when I was a kid.

• 17:16Jay Shetty?

  Yeah.

• 17:17Speaker 02

  I just want to know how he looks like. I want to know, is he okay? I want to know if he's alive. I want to know if he remembers me. I want to know if he knows that I'm famous. He was my best friend when I was a kid and uh we went through so much and I wish I could see him again. I mean, I don't know, would you want to see a, a?

• 17:35Jay Shetty?

  You know what? It's so funny because I have a similar, probably, how old were you when you and Billy were friends?

• 17:41Speaker 02

  Uh, probably like uh eight, seven years old.

• 17:43Jay Shetty?

  So when I was at primary school, elementary school in, in, in England, it was, I had a friend that I recently connected with again because I was talking about him on the show and then he reached out. His name's Ian. And so me and Ian, like, he was my best friend in primary school since we were like four, five years old.

• 17:59Speaker 02

  Me too, me too, exactly the same.

• 18:01Jay Shetty?

  Completely lost touch after eleven, after we were eleven years old and we went to different secondary schools.

• 18:05Speaker 02

  How old are you now?

• 18:06Jay Shetty?

  I'm thirty-six now.

• 18:07Speaker 02

  Thirty-six, yeah.

• 18:08Jay Shetty?

  And so it was like, but I haven't seen him again, but we did message a bit and it was just.

• 18:11Speaker 02

  So I Googled this maybe fifty other ways. And I just can't find them.

• 18:16Jay Shetty?

  Yeah.

• 18:17Speaker 02

  His name, I knew, I wish you could see this show. I mean, his name is Billy Janetti.

• 18:21Jay Shetty?

  Yeah.

• 18:22Speaker 02

  I know him as Billy Janetti, and if you see this show, please, you know, hit me up on Instagram and DM me and let me see if I could at least meet you again and talk to you again. I would love to.

• 18:34Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, that's beautiful, man. Yeah, no, that, those kind of friendships are different and, yeah, that nostalgia of being able to look back and see.

• 18:41Speaker 02

  Oh, my God, a lot. And I'm very nostalgic. Like, I really, I, I, I have, I'm fascinated with the past. And not only with my past, with the past.

• 18:50Jay Shetty?

  Hmm.

• 18:50Speaker 02

  Like, I see movies from the past and I go crazy.

• 18:53Jay Shetty?

  Hmm.

• 18:54Speaker 02

  I don't know why I like them so much. Like, I like to see how simple life was in the past.

• 18:59Jay Shetty?

  Hmm.

• 19:00Speaker 02

  I think it's so complicated now with all the mess and, you know, yes, we need it and stuff like that, but I used to like the way it was, you know?

• 19:08Jay Shetty?

  Would you say your life's become more simple or more complicated?

• 19:14Speaker 02

  It depends in what terms.

• 19:16Jay Shetty?

  Yeah.

• 19:16Speaker 02

  If you're gonna say in terms of temptation,

• 19:20Jay Shetty?

  Hmm.

• 19:21Speaker 02

  it's simpler.

• 19:22Jay Shetty?

  Hmm.

• 19:23Speaker 02

  If you're gonna say in terms of a better lifestyle, no.

• 19:28Jay Shetty?

  Hmm. Even compared to what you grew up with?

• 19:30Speaker 02

  Yeah, I mean, I, I, you, my girl's here right now and she knows that I don't even touch my phone anymore.

• 19:37Jay Shetty?

  Hmm.

• 19:38Speaker 02

  I don't care about it anymore. I just feel that it's just toxic, you know? And even though we need it, I use it because we need it, but it doesn't make me happy anymore. I'm one of the first influencers of the Spanish reggaeton, not reggaeton, the first influencers there was back in two thousand fourteen, you know, when Instagram started. I used to do videos everywhere, sit down here, sit down everywhere, show my lifestyle, show the way. I would talk to people from the streets and make people laugh and make jokes and stuff like that. And it came to a moment where record labels wanted to obligate me to do it, and it just didn't feel organic. And when something's not organic, um, it just doesn't feel good. What you're doing right now, you're doing it because you like it, you enjoy it.

• 20:20Jay Shetty?

  Mm-hmm.

• 20:21Speaker 02

  But when they tell you you have to do it.

• 20:22Jay Shetty?

  Yeah.

• 20:23Speaker 02

  It's different.

• 20:24Jay Shetty?

  Yeah.

• 20:24Speaker 02

  You know, it's different. You're doing this because you like it. I could see you enjoying your job. That's nice, that's badass. But when you, when they're like, we need you to do content because they like Nicky Jam being an influence. I'm like, no, I'm not an influencer, I'm a singer.

• 20:37Jay Shetty?

  Yeah.

• 20:37Speaker 02

  I do music and I started. Influencing people by Instagram, but do not obligate me to do something cause automatically it's not, anything that's obligated, it's not organic. And what's not organic, doesn't look cool.

• 20:49Jay Shetty?

  Yeah.

• 20:50Speaker 02

  You know?

• 20:50Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, yeah, yeah. It doesn't work.

• 20:52Speaker 02

  It doesn't work, a hundred percent.

• 20:53Jay Shetty?

  And I think we're living at a special time right now where you can own your own media and you can, like you said with this show, like, we can make it as long or as short as we like. We can sit down with whoever we want and find interesting, like, yeah.

• 21:06Speaker 02

  Record labels, when I turn on a live or I do something, they see how my, everything goes up, numbers, and then they're like, yo, we need you to do this.

• 21:21Speaker 02

  I don't wanna do nothing you need. I wanna do something I need. I wanna do something I like. I wanna do something I enjoy. If you tell me you have to sing, I don't wanna sing. If you tell me, can you please sing? I'll probably think about it. But there's nothing better than singing when you want to sing. You know, when you want to do something, you enjoy it more. And that's just the way I am. Even in a relationship, if my girl tells me, go get me a cup of water, I'm like, hell, no. And she tell me, baby, can I get a cup of water? I get her a hundred and fifty cups of water. And I'll rub her feet while she drinking it. Cause that's just the way I am. You know what I'm saying? That's, that's the way I am. I, I, I don't, I don't run by command.

• 22:07Speaker 02

  I've never been that type of guy. And that's why I have the success that I have, cause I always live life the way I wanna live it.

• 22:12Jay Shetty?

  It's a beautiful way to live, but the world's kinda set up with all these rules and contracts and things you have to sign and everything. So how have you managed to hold on to that? How have you kept that when there are so many demands? And Nicky do this, Nicky do that, like?

• 22:27Speaker 02

  I don't do shit nobody tells me to do. I've never been that guy. And that probably could be a, a situation. Sometimes they call me and they say, we need you to do a video for this show. I'm like, I'm not doing it. I just, I don't do stuff people tell me I have to do. I don't work like that. I don't like people telling me there's a structure of life. There's a, there's a blueprint of living. Hell no. I live the life the way I wanna live it. I'm a good guy and I always work with everybody and I listen to people cause I'm open, you know, for ideas and I'm open for everything. I'm not open for commands. It's just that, that's just the way I am. And if you tell me, Nicky...

• 23:08Speaker 02

  What do you think if we do this, you know?

• 23:09Jay Shetty?

  Yeah.

• 23:10Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah, yeah. Why, why? I wanna know why.

• 23:14Jay Shetty?

  Yeah.

• 23:14Speaker 02

  Well, cuz I think if you do this and we do it this way, we could do that and this could happen. I'm like, okay.

• 23:20Jay Shetty?

  Yeah.

• 23:20Speaker 02

  Okay, let's do it. Let's work. You know, I'd rather work that way than a command.

• 23:24Jay Shetty?

  Yeah.

• 23:25Speaker 02

  And telling me I have to. And just, that's just the way I am. And that's, that's the way I've been living for years, you know?

• 23:31Jay Shetty?

  That's what I was gonna say. It makes sense for you because you've had to be your own boss and make decisions in tough times and you've had to.

• 23:38Speaker 02

  I know, and I've paid, and I've paid my dues cuz of that too. At the same time, I've been, I've been in situations where I almost got killed a lot of times, not once, probably like fifty, sixty times. Uh, been in jail. I've been through so many things cuz I do whatever the I wanna do. You know what I'm saying? But at the same times, I've done so many good things cuz I do whatever the I wanna do.

• 24:05Jay Shetty?

  Mm-hmm.

• 24:05Speaker 02

  You know, I've had so much success and it's not even about success. It's about helping people too.

• 24:10Jay Shetty?

  Hmm.

• 24:10Speaker 02

  Cuz the meaning of everything is, my whole way of thinking about things is,

• 24:17Speaker 02

  I want people, I wanna inspirate people.

• 24:19Jay Shetty?

  Mm-hmm.

• 24:20Speaker 02

  If I open a restaurant, if I do a song, if I give away a, a, a squa- a scholarship, anything I do, even if I fuck up, I want people to get inspir- inspirited by it. Cuz the reality is, we all fuck up.

• 24:38Jay Shetty?

  Mm-hmm.

• 24:39Speaker 02

  We're human beings. We're not angels. We're not, we don't have wings and shit. We all fuck up. So, I want people to, you know, see things as inspiration. I, and I like, you know, to be honest with you, I know people think, you know, they saw my story and, and they see it like, well, you know, uh, he's already has his success. He had his bad moments. He, he woke up like the phoenix, cuz they call me the phoenix in the, in, in the urban music game. Cuz I came from the ashes and I came back and I did a comeback and then I conquered the world and so ever, so ever. But the reality of everything is, I still go through shit. I still have my bad, non-bad days, bad months.

• 25:23Speaker 02

  Well, I could say a whole bad year, even if I have success. You know, because we have these skeletons in the closet that are trying to pull me back. You know, the past is killing me. And a lot of people be like, the past, go, that's not the way it works. You know, we have a lot of people, especially men going to mental, you know, mental problems. And they just don't talk about it. They scared of talking about it. It's not easy for a man to do it. Because a man always have to have shit together, you know, like I'm a man. I never have a problem. I'll take care of everything. But that's not the way it works.

• 26:02Speaker 02

  You know, I go into anxiety sometimes. I get panic attacks. I get nervous. I get the shakes. I get a lot of shit I start thinking about because I'm a human being, you know, and I went through a lot of shit. And I'm paying a lot of things that I went through and a lot of things that I did in the past, you know. Even if I have success, even if I help somebody, even if tomorrow I'll give a hundred dollars to a homeless guy or give away a scholarship through the Grammys or, or, I don't know, give away a whole concert for free or whatever I do, I still, I have, I smile, but I go through, you know, my bad moments. So it's just,

• 26:43Speaker 02

  you know, it's just life.

• 26:44Jay Shetty?

  Yeah. This episode is brought to you by Mazda. The best habits are the ones we hardly notice. The ones that quietly shape the way we move through life, giving us the confidence to focus on what really matters. That's Mazda's approach to safety. Every Mazda is designed with proactive safety features that help keep you more aware, more connected and more engaged with your drive. So you can stay present behind the wheel. That commitment has earned Mazda recognition as Consumer Reports' safest new car brand. And as of July 2026, Mazda has won more 2026 IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus awards than any other car brand. Visit www.iihs.org to learn more. A lot can happen when an accident doesn't.

• 27:27Jay Shetty?

  Mazda, more of what matters to you. Visit MazdaUSA.com to learn more. Consumer Reports does not endorse products or services. This episode is brought to you by Orange Theory Fitness. One of the best investments you can make is in your own strength. The choices you make today can help shape how you feel for years to come. Orange Theory Fitness provides a one hour workout to build strength, burn fat and build muscle with an expert coach guiding you every step of the way. Head to orangetheory.com/OnPurpose to learn more and get your first class free. Orange Theory Fitness, helping people live longer, more vibrant lives. Terms and conditions apply. See webpage in studio for details. This episode is brought to you by Amtrak.

• 28:11Jay Shetty?

  You know that feeling when you're already tired and you haven't even gotten there yet? That's where Amtrak comes in. Leave the driving behind and settle into a comfortable seat with plenty of room to stretch out. Catch up on work with wifi, grab a snack at the cafe car or just sit back and enjoy your favorite podcast. Choose a cellar or northeast regional and get there without the stress of getting there. Visit amtrak.com to plan your next trip.

• 28:38Speaker 02

  Just like.

• 28:39Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, what creates the, it sounds like, it almost feels like you have that to share today. Like you've come here with this feeling of like, I want people to know that despite the success, despite the arc of my journey from like a lot of pain to finding my genius and flow and the greatness that you've achieved, that you want people to know that I still have human emotions. I still have issues. What would you say are those things that come up now? What are the roots of those? What are those?

• 29:06Speaker 02

  No, I, I, I'm gonna, I'm gonna be honest with you. And I have, I've never opened up in any of these shows about this. I've been going through alcohol problems these last, uh, this whole last year. It's because for some reason the past came back to me and people have seen this, you know? And, and it affected me in a way that even, um, I, uh,

• 29:30Speaker 02

  I even said I was gonna retire. And that's a lie. I'm not retiring. I will never retire. I even posted a video. I edited a video and I posted it that I was retiring. It was alcohol. You know, I've been battling with this for a couple of years now. I could say one or two years. You know, I can't say I'm an alcoholic, because if I say I'm an alcoholic, I'm lying. An alcoholic is a person that sees alcohol and starts shivering and drinks every single day. But I go through my days where I go crazy, five or six days. And, and people seen this. And to be honest with you, I'm, uh, I smoke weed today because I'm dealing with the anxiety of not drinking. And I've been stopping, you know, drinking and all that because of the weed.

• 30:14Speaker 02

  The weed been, been helping me in a way. And people seeing me smoke and they're like, oh, he went back. Well, weed was never a problem for me. It was perks and cocaine and other stuff. Weed was never a problem for me. So when people start seeing me smoking weed, they were like, oh, he went back again. And oh, they saw me drinking alcohol. He went back again. Reality is, I've always been battling with my situation. You know, I just, I've just had good years. Seven, eight, nine years. And then I, you know, have my struggles again with other stuff. You know, you could say the alcohol. The weed, I don't see as a drug. It's just the way I see it.

• 30:57Speaker 02

  I smoke, it makes me chill. I get hungry sometimes. I eat. I laugh. And it makes, gets my mind off all the negativity and drinking and stuff like that. And I just felt judged by people. Like, you know, like, just because I stopped doing the other stuff and I've been clean for so many years. And then they see me smoking weed or they see me, uh, drinking alcohol. They judge me, but they saw my past. And it's contradicting because it's like, okay, so you see my past. You say you feel bad about my situation. You understand my situation. But then you see me fall in any situation or you see me do anything to deal with my anxiety or my present moment and you judge me.

• 31:43Speaker 02

  And yeah, I do feel the type of way. It pisses me off. I ain't gonna be lying. But I can't, I can't get mad at the same time, because people don't understand. And, and you can't get mad if people don't understand your situation, you know? But at the same time, can you judge somebody if you don't know their situation? Totally, yeah. You know, I judged my mom for so many years until I heard what happened to her in the past. And that's why today I respect my mom and I understand my mom. She had a crazy past. So, you know, I wish I could share it, but I respect for her, I, I won't do it. Absolutely, I respect you too. I don't, I don't know if I have the green light, like, stuff that I did talk about my mom is because I had the green light from her to talk about.

• 32:29Speaker 02

  But, uh, probably one day, I come out and, uh, do another series. And, you know, and, and she gives me the green light to talk about whatever. But I don't think I'll do another series about my life. I think, uh, what I did was enough. And I don't wanna, I, I, I, in a way, I don't wanna, I don't wanna be in a box. I, I, I feel people box me like this, like the, um, how do you say this in English? Uh, because I think in Spanish so much. Um, like a role model. Hmm. I'm, I'm, I don't wanna be a role model.

• 33:02Speaker 02

  I, I, I appreciate that people see me as a role model, but I'm a human being. And if I have to be a perfect human being to be a role model, I don't wanna be a role model. I wanna be a hu- I wanna keep being a human being. I wanna be able to fall and get back up again, and fall and get back up again, and and fall and get back up again. I don't wanna be boxed as this fucking role model, just because people wanna see me as a role model. And after I did this series, people see me as this guy that can't fuck up.

• 33:34Speaker 02

  Why? I'm not an angel. When you go to church... A lot of people could say, ah, I don't like going to church cause I see shit in church that I don't like. And I see people from church doing things they don't have to do. They're not angels. They're fighting their battles. You cannot expect them to be perfect, even the pastor. He's gonna up. He's a human being. Now, if we in the, we in the sky, we with God and there's angels fucking up, I understand. But none of these motherfuckers got wings. They're human beings. People don't understand that. And it's easy to judge people, you know?

• 34:13Jay Shetty?

  Yeah.

• 34:14Speaker 02

  It's easy to judge people, but if you had my money and you had my power and you had my past and you had my career, how would you manage it? You know? You can't say you know how you're gonna do it cause you never had it before, you know?

• 34:34Jay Shetty?

  Hey, you're just catching me as I have my midday pick-me-up.

• 34:40Jay Shetty?

  I'm sure you've heard about Junie. Rady and I put all of our love into creating this amazing drink. It's full of nootropics and adaptogens. Great for that little boost of energy, enhanced focus and a happy mind. And guess what? It's only five calories and absolutely no sugar. I hope you're gonna try it out. It's available right now at Target. If you're a Target shopper, head there right now. And at Sprouts as well this summer. Go grab your Junie. It's powerful to hear that having context of your mom's past was so helpful in you making sense of who she was and why she was that way. I wanna know for you, what was it that took you to drugs the first time? And what was it that took you back to alcohol this time?

• 35:24Jay Shetty?

  Like, what were the two motivations that took you there the first time and now as well?

• 35:29Speaker 02

  Drugs was some, was part of my family since I was a kid. My uncle died of AIDS cause he, he shot heroin

• 35:39Speaker 02

  using somebody else's needles. He died in my face. My dad did drugs, my mom did drugs in the house, my uncle did drugs. My other uncle did drugs. Everybody in the house would come to my house to do drugs and I would see that, a whole bunch of zombies in my house. So this started since that. And then when I'm 11 years old, I moved to Puerto Rico and kids in Puerto Rico were doing drugs like nothing. In the hood. I'm not saying everybody in Puerto Rico does drugs. Where I was raised, it was normal to just see kids doing drugs. And at 11, I started smoking weed. And from weed,

• 36:21Speaker 02

  couple of years after, I went to coke. What made me do coke was a, was the first girl that I had. She, uh, she left me for another man. When I was, uh, 14 or 15 years old. She left me because I was a kid and I didn't have a job or nothing like that. And she left me for a man that had a job and had inspiration and had all that, you know, blah, blah, blah. And, uh,

• 36:48Speaker 02

  my mom abandoned me. So to have another girl abandoned me, it affected me in a way so big that, uh, I did, I started doing cocaine. And from there, I, uh, it went from cocaine to heroin, heroin to ecstasy, ecstasy, to, uh, any type of drug until I got hooked with the, with the perks and, you know, codeine. And I was doing perks, 30 perks a day for years. I cleaned myself for years because, you know, I got my shit together. And I said, I know it was destroying me and it was destroying my body and destroying my mind, destroying my health.

• 37:32Speaker 02

  But, uh, when I had success and I did it all and I was, all this money and, you know, it's lonely in the top. For some reason, that lifestyle took me back.

• 37:46Speaker 02

  To the past. And I started going out. I didn't do anything and I was bored and somebody had a thing of champagne and I just took one and I started drinking one and from there it went to give me another one and there it gave me another one. And then I started traveling and I went to Europe and then the base where I was staying was Amsterdam during the week. And I had a little bar in the front. And I started drinking and drinking and drinking and I I thought it was something that I could do, you know, and and while I was touring during the week and then weekends I would perform. Went back to Miami, it wasn't the same. I was still in Amsterdam, even if I was in Miami.

• 38:27Jay Shetty?

  Hmm.

• 38:28Speaker 02

  And that's how I got back to it.

• 38:30Jay Shetty?

  Hmm. Where do you go for help? Like when you cleaned the first time and now you're being so open about this challenge that you have right now, like how have you been able to find the right help to support you through that?

• 38:40Speaker 02

  Myself. Myself and my people, my girl. You know, my girl would tell me, Nicky, you drink and you sleep for two, a whole day. And I'd be alone. That affected me. I'm like, oh shit, like really? Like I leave you alone for like eight hours and shit? And all the shit that I I would do that I wouldn't remember. You know, and I'm like, I don't want to be that guy. I don't want to be a guy that do things and don't remember. So that that that helped me a lot. People around me see people around me, you know, not liking me being this guy that's drinking and, you know, I've had fun. I ain't gonna lie this whole time. I I don't want to make it a sad story. I don't want people to think that I've been like sad and crying.

• 39:25Speaker 02

  I've had a lot of fun, a lot of fun, but too much fun is not good, you know? Yeah, too much fun is not good and and if you forget shit and you don't remember shit is bad. And that's why I I started smoking because I will get a, I'm very anxious. If you see me here, I can't stop moving. That's just the way I am. I've been like that since I was a kid. I've never told this story before, but when I was a kid, I ate lead, paint with lead. They paint the house where I was living with lead and I used to eat that.

• 39:59Jay Shetty?

  Oh, wow.

• 40:00Speaker 02

  When I was a kid. So that lead got into my blood. And that lead affected me in a way that it makes me very anxious. Uh, my sister had it too. And um. So, you know, all the drugs that I did in the past and all that affected my nervous system, so.

• 40:20Speaker 02

  I'm a very anxious person. And I ain't gonna lie, the weed helps me a lot. It's been helping me a lot. I probably, somebody hears me and is like, you're stupid. You're leaving something for another thing or whatever. I mean, I do whatever I gotta do to like.

• 40:33Jay Shetty?

  For sure.

• 40:34Speaker 02

  To feel better and I'd rather smoke than drink and I'm not doing the perks I used to do in the past with the cocaine, et cetera. And I don't even know why I'm telling you so much shit.

• 40:43Jay Shetty?

  I appreciate it. No, man, I, I, I think it's, I mean, it's real. It's real and.

• 40:48Speaker 02

  Oh, I'm real.

• 40:49Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, and, and if anything, I'm. It's impressive how aware you are of yourself, having had so much trauma, stress, pain. Like, you're so aware. Like, that's what I'm noticing in you. I'm listening to you. I'm like, wow, this person's so aware. You're so open to people in your inner circle, being able to share their feedback with you. You said it's lonely at the top, but it seems like you've surrounded yourself with people that can be honest with you and are honest with you.

• 41:21Speaker 02

  Yeah, you could, you could have good people next to you and still feel lonely.

• 41:25Jay Shetty?

  Yeah.

• 41:25Speaker 02

  It's weird. I don't know how to explain that. For some reason, you can have, uh, good people next to you. I have a good circle of people. I have good friends. I have a good girl. I have, uh, I have beautiful kids. My kids are big now, you know, they're all in college and high school and. I'm not the typical guy that calls the family every day and checks on them. I'm the guy that, when you call, I'm there. You know? My dad calls me and I'll be there in a second. Anything he needs, my mom as well, my, my, my kids as well, even my friends. Uh, sometimes I just don't wanna be next to people, but it's not because I'm a jerk, because I love my friends.

• 42:06Speaker 02

  And my friends have been in my family for a long time, because, you know, I've been on the road so long. I've been more on the road than in my house, you know, traveling the world. I've traveled the world. I've done so much around the world that to be in my house is just something that doesn't happen. But uh, but yeah, sometimes you still feel lonely. It's it's just a the traumas, man. The traumas take you, take you there, but I deal with it. I mean, I'm just opening up to you. I'm not no, it's not that I'm like, I was, I've been laughing my whole way here. I have a good time. I make fun of myself. I joke around everywhere I go.

• 42:46Speaker 02

  I have a lot of fun, but you know, I'm a human being and that's what I want people to understand. I have my days just like you. I have my depressions just like you. I have my insecurities just like you. I have my all that shit that people think we don't have because we have money, we have cars, we have all that bullshit that the reality is just nothing, you know? The end of the day, it's just when you're alone in that bed, you know, you're dying in that bed, you don't have a Ferrari next to you. You don't have a whole bunch of girls next to you. You don't have a whole bunch of friends next to you, your family who's there with you, you know, so I I'm real.

• 43:28Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, no, walk me through, there's, there's some things you said to me that I think, you know, people won't experience once, let alone fifty, sixty times. You were saying like, nearly been killed, like what is that? That must be a life altering experience, but when you've had it fifty, sixty times, I mean, do you become immune to that? Does that just become normal?

• 43:47Speaker 02

  Not now, no, not now, because I left that life a long time ago, but yeah.

• 43:51Jay Shetty?

  At that time?

• 43:51Speaker 02

  In that time, yes, of course. Yeah, I was, I didn't care.

• 43:54Jay Shetty?

  Walk me through one of the events of that was the worst, like that was the closest.

• 43:58Speaker 02

  Oh my God, I mean, there's so many things I can't even talk about because well, I could, I could, I could almost talk about. I was at this club and um,

• 44:09Speaker 02

  um, I just bought a gun. I bought a gun and for some reason this gun, if you, if you, if you, if you lower the safety, it shoots. Because it, because the gun was, they, they put it fully automatic in a, in a street, in a street way. So I bought this gun, I went into a club. The way I got into the club with the gun is funny, I put it in my chain and I tucked it in. Security guy touched it, I said it was, you know, it was, it was a, if you had like a, like a, how do you call that? Like a rosemary or something like that, or Santa Maria or anything gold.

• 44:46Jay Shetty?

  Yeah.

• 44:47Speaker 02

  They you can't they can't touch it cuz it's prepared. It's it's a Puerto Rican thing.

• 44:51Jay Shetty?

  Mm hmm.

• 44:52Speaker 02

  And so I got in my gun and I shot the gun inside there and then the.

• 44:58Jay Shetty?

  Not at someone, just.

• 44:59Speaker 02

  No, no, I didn't wanna shoot it. I I lowered the safety and it shot.

• 45:03Jay Shetty?

  Right.

• 45:04Speaker 02

  So I'm in the club and the the big guy from Puerto Rico, the one that was he was I'm not gonna say names, but the big guy. He was there and his right man was there too. And they tell him, yo, Nicky's shooting in the club. And the big guy know me, you know, the top guy. He knew me and he was like, oh, you know, Nicky, I'll deal with him. Don't worry about that. That's my boy. But then I was hiding myself behind this guy cuz I knew I just shot some shot the roof of the club and I didn't want nobody knowing it was me. And I had an argument with the guy and the guy said he was with the top guy. And I said, I don't care you with the top guy. But he told the top guy, he's like, Nicky said he don't care about you. So his right hand man came to shoot me and then I shoot my way out. I shot him too and.

• 45:50Speaker 02

  And they gave me that phone call. Saying, bro, wherever we get you, it's done. That was a scary moment cuz I know who this guy was and he was one of the biggest guys, biggest guys in Puerto Rico.

• 46:07Speaker 02

  Long story short, the whole music industry helped me not get killed. And I had to pay my way to help the guy cuz the guy had a.

• 46:19Speaker 02

  Uh, he had a, how do you call this?

• 46:23Speaker 02

  He was, uh, he had diabetes. So when you get if you get shot having diabetes. For some reason, it affects you way more. And I had to like pay a lot of money in that moment. We didn't make that much money in the industry, in the music industry. And I got out of that. But that's just one of the stories of a whole bunch of stories I could tell you.

• 46:42Jay Shetty?

  Wow, man. And like you said, it's there's real fear there. There's.

• 46:46Speaker 02

  No, when a guy like that calls you and tells you it's done is the, you know, it's it's one of the worst thing you could hear in your life. Yeah, it's just, I went through a lot of stuff, man. I went through a lot of stuff and I was just a rebel. My mom not being there made me not care about living, you know, and it's just, it's just.

• 47:04Jay Shetty?

  This episode is brought to you by Indeed. I know how important every hire is for a business. If you need to make the right hire, this is a job for sponsored jobs. Indeed sponsored jobs helps find quality candidates when you need them most. You can reach who you need based on whatever criteria you're looking for, like skills, certifications, or location. In fact, people are finding quality hires on Indeed right now. In the minute I've been talking to you, companies like yours made 27 hires on Indeed, according to Indeed data worldwide. Spend less time searching and more time actually interviewing candidates who check all your boxes. Listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit at indeed.com/podcast.

• 47:47Jay Shetty?

  That's indeed.com/podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Need to hire? This is a job for Indeed sponsored jobs. This episode is brought to you by Chase Sapphire Reserve. One of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves is the chance to step outside of our routine. Travel is a way of slowing us down and shifting our perspective. And with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, every journey becomes even more rewarding. Earn four times the points on flights and hotels booked direct. Enjoy access to award-winning airport lounges, three times the points on dining, and reserve exclusive tables. Learn more at chase.com/sapphirereserve.

• 48:29Jay Shetty?

  Cards issued by JP Morgan Chase Bank, NA member FDIC. Subject to credit approval, terms apply. This episode is brought to you by State Farm. We talk a lot about intentional decision-making, and that extends to the practical stuff too, like making sure your coverage actually works for your life. State Farm is there to meet you where you are, and they know how sweet it is to feel good about your decisions. Talk to a State Farm agent today to learn how you can choose to bundle and save with a personal price plan. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Prices are based on rating plans that vary by state. Coverage options are selected by the customer. Availability, amount of discounts and savings, and eligibility vary by state.

• 49:11Speaker 02

  Way it was.

• 49:12Jay Shetty?

  How long were you ever in prison for, for the longest time?

• 49:15Speaker 02

  Like, three years.

• 49:16Jay Shetty?

  Three years in one stretch?

• 49:17Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 49:18Jay Shetty?

  Walk us through what three years in prison looks like, because I feel like, again, most people only see it in the movies and, you know, it's glorified in a TV show.

• 49:27Speaker 02

  At the beginning, you get all claustrophobic and you feel like, uh, you feel like you're gonna die. I mean, come on, you used to live in a house and from living in a house, you're living in four walls.

• 49:38Jay Shetty?

  Like this, like smaller than this?

• 49:40Speaker 02

  This is huge, bro. No, I mean,

• 49:46Speaker 02

  from your, from your, from where you are to where I am, and probably a little bit over here. That's it. That's all you got in a toilet. But the reality of everything, I've always been the soul of the party. So I made these people have fun. I sang for them. I made jokes all day, because I'm a joker. I be doing jokes. And, uh, people love me, you know, people love me and, uh, they were gonna give me six years and from six years, I came out in three, so. I try not to talk too much about that, because it was crazy days, but, but I could tell you that I, I, I thought for one moment, everything was gonna be done. When I got into that place and as soon as I came out. Coming inside is not a problem.

• 50:30Speaker 02

  When you come out and you, uh, front everything that, uh, you left before you went inside jail. Just like drugs, you know, you stop doing drugs and then you gotta confront yourself with all the things that made you get into drugs, so. I don't know, I, uh,

• 50:50Speaker 02

  I, I just, I'm just happy. I'm not, I'm, I'm outside.

• 50:53Jay Shetty?

  Yeah. No, I'm fascinated because it's such a unique life experience that, you know, I don't get to speak to someone who's had that experience and then had the other experience that you've had, so. To me, I'm just curious, because I feel like we have such a limited understanding of that life experience from the outside in, like you have no clue what it looks like to have that experience. And I love what you said, that it's actually harder when you come out and you've got to see where everything's kind of, you've got to catch up with life.

• 51:19Speaker 02

  Catch up with life and, you know, you know, and then come back and, and do a comeback and it was worse. I came out and it was worse and worse and worse and I did more drugs and more drugs and it was. It came to a moment, I I looked all messed up, cuz uh perks was a drugs that will not will make you eat. So I was a drug addict. I was a big drug addict, you know what I'm saying? I was an overweight drug addict. I would rather be a skinny drug addict, it makes more sense. But uh I wasn't, I was eating all this shit and you know, and overweight and just, you know, embarrassment, embarrassments, embarrassments, so it was like, it was just horrible.

• 52:03Speaker 02

  But uh, you know, moving to Colombia changed my life. Why, why did that change your life? Well, the reality is uh, sometimes you have to move. You know, you can't stay in one place and uh, they called me for a show in Colombia when I was in my worst moment. And I went over there and I performed.

• 52:26Speaker 02

  Reality, I I acted like I was my own manager, uh, I changed my voice.

• 52:32Speaker 02

  They're like, yo, can we get uh Nicki J for the A.T. the, one moment, let me, let me put my manager. Yes, what do you need right now?

• 52:40Speaker 02

  Changed my voice and I acted like I was my own manager. And um, I went to Colombia and I'm thinking over here, I'm the worst guy on the list of singers that's gonna be in this concert. You know, all these kids were popping, they were like killing the game. I haven't been in Colombia for a long time, so I go over there and I'm over here thinking, damn, I'm singing these old songs, you know, I've been out of the game for so long and not doing well and you know, I don't, I don't know if I wanna go on stage, you know, like, I got even nervous and everything. And I'm seeing that all these kids are performing and they saving me for last.

• 53:19Speaker 02

  And I'm, I tell the promoter like, bro, why are you leaving me for last? I mean, you got all these kids, they killing the game right now, they, they doing everything perfect, like, why are you leaving? He's like, he saved me for last, bro, cuz you're the one people wanna see. You never did a show here when you was really popping, so people wanna see you. So when I got on stage, it was standing ovation, I mean, people were like crazy. And it went from that to that same, two weeks, I was doing like fifteen shows I did. Cheap, but hey, I made some money and I paid the rent.

• 53:56Speaker 02

  Went back to Puerto Rico, paid her in, bought myself a car, da, da, da, da. And I'm thinking, oh, what am I doing here in Puerto Rico? Ah, this country that loves me so much. I'm working and I feel good over there. So I started, it started from me like staying two weeks, three weeks, to me saying, you know what? I'm moving here.

• 54:18Jay Shetty?

  Hmm.

• 54:18Speaker 02

  I'm moving to this country and uh, I was going through a bad moment there, you know? I was going through a really bad moment in Puerto Rico and I went through a lot of embarrassments and stuff like that. So people in Colombia was seeing me as an idol, an icon. They were like, Nicky, you're an icon. I'm like, icon? What do you mean? I'm, I'm broke. An icon, overweight, broke. How are you gonna call me an icon? But people, see, when people give you that love and they say you the best, you believe it. So thanks for them people giving me that love and saying I'm the best.

• 54:58Speaker 02

  I did believe I was the best until I became the best and I conquered the world. I realized the country had more than sixty-five million people and it was the YouTube era. And I said, you know what? If I have one number one hit, national hit in this country, I could probably have so many views that I could make other countries wanna know why I have so many views. And it went from having one national hit to five national hits and having fifteen million in one song, twenty million in another one, thirty million in another one. People was like, yo, Nicky's popping.

• 55:39Speaker 02

  And from there it went to Chile, from there it went to Ecuador, from there it went to here, Europe, da, pa, pa, pa. And then from there I did five number one global hits. Did the World Cup, did movies in Hollywood, et cetera, et cetera. I did everything and thanks to Colombia, you know?

• 56:00Jay Shetty?

  Hmm.

• 56:00Speaker 02

  Thanks for the love they gave me. Thanks for the support they gave me.

• 56:06Speaker 02

  Thanks for making me think that I was somebody bigger than I thought I was, you know? And that's just something that I appreciate so much. And that's why I love the country everywhere I go. And every country I go, I talk about Colombia. I could be in Mexico and I talk about Colombia. I could be in Puerto Rico and I talk about Colombia. And I say, hey, if you guys see two Colombians walking around the streets, give them love. Why? Because they took one of yours and they gave them love. That's just the way I see it. That's the way I believe it, you know? If I see somebody from Colombia struggling in my country, if, I mean, I'm living in Puerto Rico, I get them in my house. I'll take care of them. Because Colombia did it with me. They gave me love when I needed it. I owe them so much.

• 56:51Speaker 02

  That's why I always try to, you know, show love and do whatever I could do to help the country, you know?

• 56:57Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, I really believe in this idea of having a power place or a purpose place in the world. There are certain places that you move to that it feels like the whole universe is conspiring for you to grow and become something.

• 57:13Speaker 02

  Colombia is exactly that.

• 57:14Jay Shetty?

  Colombia is that for you.

• 57:15Speaker 02

  And I appreciate that so much, you know? Even if I, I wish, I wish, um, I would have went before.

• 57:23Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, yeah, yeah. There's, I mean, there's a reason why, like, places become iconic for something. Like, you look at Silicon Valley in tech, or you look at LA in entertainment. You look at New York in finance. You look at, you know, even I was with my friend in, you know, we're in this, we're in Oxford in England, and like, literally every book that we grew up on, whether it was Alice in Wonderland or Lord of the Rings, was written in that area of Oxford.

• 57:49Speaker 02

  Of course.

• 57:49Jay Shetty?

  And so it's like, you've got all these hubs in the world where writers, creatives, artists, entrepreneurs gravitate because there's an energetic pull in that place.

• 57:59Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 58:00Jay Shetty?

  And for you, you know, Colombia sounds like it was that power place, that purpose place.

• 58:04Speaker 02

  It was, it was a hundred percent. And I, I'm really grateful.

• 58:07Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, I can see that.

• 58:08Speaker 02

  For the country. And I would always give love and show love to the country.

• 58:12Jay Shetty?

  Yeah.

• 58:12Speaker 02

  Until the day I die. And I don't mind dying in Colombia, you know? Because, uh... I feel like I'm dying home, you know?

• 58:18Jay Shetty?

  Hmm. What was it like having that conversation with your mom after you had context of whatever she went through? What did it feel like to like approach that? Cause the reason I ask it is I feel like a lot of us judge our parents for not giving us enough, for not being there, for maybe, you know, creating our trauma, et cetera. How do you then have that conversation to be like, I don't judge you like this is how like, how do you even navigate a conversation?

• 58:47Speaker 02

  Um, my mom is not an easy individual. My mom is very complicated. She's not, she's not, uh, well, you gotta understand, my mom was a lady that when she was a drug addict most of her life, you know? It's not like you're gonna talk to a typical mom that's gonna like talk to you and say, yes, son, how you doing? And the, it's, you know, a person that literally was raised in the streets, you know? So having a conversation with my mom is not the easiest thing in the world, but I, I give her the message in a strong way, cause I have my mom's um, character.

• 59:30Speaker 02

  I, I don't know if that's the right way of saying it. My sister has my dad's and my mom is a strong woman and she don't take shit from nobody. And I'm a strong mother, I don't take shit from nobody. That's just the way I am. I've always been like that as I was a kid. I was raised like that and, you know, my mom raised me like that. And in the small time she was with me, she would tell me in school, she was like, if you go and you fight in school and the kid, the kid you was fighting with, he beat up more than you, I'mma whoop your ass when you get home. Automatically, my mom gave me that. I gotta whoop people's asses. If I go back home, my mom's gonna whoop me and I'm scared, mom was scarier than my mom than the kid in school.

• 1:00:15Speaker 02

  So she made me a tough guy, you know? She made me a tough guy. The conversation was just me being strong to her and telling her, hey, you know what? You did this, you went through this, I understand you. I went through a lot of shit myself. I needed you. Well, you here now and we here. And that's all that matters, you know? And I take care of her. I bought her a house. You know, I give her money monthly. Anything she needs, you know, I'll take care of her. You know, it's hard because, you know, to have a relationship. She lives in Dominican Republic, she can't travel. You know, I've been fighting for her to have her, you know, a pardon from the United States so she could come back.

• 1:01:00Speaker 02

  She can't have it right now. But uh, I leave everything in God's hands. Do you pray a lot? If I say I pray a lot, I'm a liar, man.

• 1:01:13Speaker 02

  I have so much, uh, it's so funny, man. I have so much ADD that even if I pray, I can lose myself praying. So it goes from. I don't know if I'm the only one that has that situation. I think we all have that. I think we all have like. But I talk to God. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't pray. Yeah. Because praying has a process. You know, praying is just not like, uh, yeah, God, I need you to hook me up with this and that. No, praying is more like, you know, like you have to first say, you know, thank, thank, thank you for everything I have. Ask for other people's, uh, you know, blessings and health and all that.

• 1:01:57Speaker 02

  And then you talk about yourself. That's the right way of doing it. That's the way the Bible says you should do it. I don't go through all that process every time. I do it sometimes, but I talk to God here and there. You know, I talk to God and I have conversations with God. I feel like God is my best friend. I know it's not the right way. I know I should pray more. Oh, I mean, that sounds beautiful. Yeah. That sounds like the essence of prayer. Yeah, I mean, I, I, I, well, me being a guy that knows about the Bible and knows about the word of God. I know there's a better way of having a connection with God and a better way of praying.

• 1:02:37Speaker 02

  They say that you wake up every morning and you get on your knees and you pray is the right way. I wake up nauseous in the morning. Now, like, I feel like I'm sick in the morning. I gotta eat something first. So if I sit, if I get on my knees and I start praying and I don't feel good, I don't feel like I'm giving the best. I don't know if I'm.

• 1:02:59Jay Shetty?

  No, I think you're all of us.

• 1:03:01Speaker 02

  Yeah, I don't know. I mean, I, I feel like, I mean, can I at least eat a piece of bread or something? So I, so I can like really focus on praying the right, the right way.

• 1:03:11Jay Shetty?

  That's brilliant.

• 1:03:12Speaker 02

  I mean, look at my past and look at everything I've been through when I'm still here, you know? Um, I feel God has a purpose for me. He has a huge purpose for me. And I feel God loves me the way I am. I mean, I, I feel if I go to heaven and I'll probably like joke around with God and, you know, playing around with his beard and, and, you know, just, just the way I see myself. He made me. He knows the way I am. He knows my essence. He made me. I have respect for God. I love God and I know it will, the time will come where I would have to like really dedicate myself to God because he has given me so much and I haven't given him what I have to, you know?

• 1:03:56Speaker 02

  So I know I owe God a lot, you know, I, I.

• 1:04:00Jay Shetty?

  That's beautiful.

• 1:04:01Speaker 02

  I'll pay him back. I'll pay him back.

• 1:04:04Jay Shetty?

  You've had a lot of figures in your life that have been important at different times. And of course, as you mentioned earlier, like Daddy Yankee was in that mixtape time and, you know, growing you. And then of course, I believe the relationship didn't go as, you know, relationships fizzle out and don't always work the same. Have you found a way to reconcile those relationships as well? Or are you kind of sometimes like if it didn't work out, part ways, move on?

• 1:04:27Speaker 02

  Well, the only persons who I had situations like that or person was Daddy Yankee. And I, me and him were better than ever. He, he texted me, I think it was yesterday or today.

• 1:04:39Speaker 02

  He's in church now, he's with God now a hundred percent. And I'm really happy for him. And he knows what I've been going through and all that. And we've talked before, we had conversations. And you know, me and him are like better than ever now. So I can't say forgiveness, because he didn't do anything to me. If we could say it was the other way around, he always tried to be the big brother and I always tried to be the wreck. Getting that Yankee out of the situation, any person that I've had a problem with, that done something to me, I forgive and I feel better, because forgiveness is not for them, it's for yourself, you know? And I feel better, you know? I've had problems, even here today, I have a friend, he's right here with me.

• 1:05:22Speaker 02

  And we didn't talk to each other for, I don't know, four years, something like that. We was mad, we had a bad situation, and now we're joking in the car like nothing happened. I think that's the way it should be. Life is too short. You know? And to hold crushes and be mad and shit and be mad with people. Just go back to people. And they gave me so much in a moment that it's crazy like not to be with them. They could up too, you know? You know, people up and sometimes do things that other people will never forgive. Now I'm gonna tell you this, though. I forgive, but I never forget. And with that, I'll say everything.

• 1:06:08Jay Shetty?

  Last year, when I went on my world tour, something that I was doing throughout the show was, I was creating moments of growth, but that were discomfort for people from the audience. So I would bring people up and I would guide them and coach them through an uncomfortable situation in their life. So at the end of the show, There was this one moment that we did across the world, so we did it at forty shows across the world. And I would ask people in the audience if there was someone in their life that they loved, but that they haven't talked to in five, ten, fifteen years. And people had crazy stories. There were people who like hadn't talked to their kids for ten years, brothers and sisters who hadn't talked for five years.

• 1:06:51Jay Shetty?

  You know, people who hadn't talked to their ex for seven years, whatever, all these stories. And I'd invite someone on stage who felt comfortable and I'd coach them through it and they'd have to, I'd ask them to call that person on stage in front of everyone, but not tell them that they're at an event and share how they really felt. And it was amazing, man, to see like out of the forty phone calls, twenty went to voicemail, but twenty went through to the person. And it wasn't about a happy ending, or it wasn't about like a perfect reconnection. It was about what you said, life was too short to carry that weight of I love this person and I haven't said it, or I used to really appreciate this friend and I, we lost touch, we fell out over nothing, or maybe we fell out over something. When you're reconnecting with people in your life,

• 1:07:36Jay Shetty?

  what's been the thing that's allowed you to have the courage to do that? Like you've done it with your mom, you've done it with Daddy Yankee, like where's that coming from?

• 1:07:44Speaker 02

  That's just Nicky.

• 1:07:47Speaker 02

  I only have one friend that I didn't talk to that I had problems with is the one I just told you. I'm the stupid one that always forgive people. When I say stupid is because that's what people tell me. You know, not because I think I'm stupid, because I forgive people and I reconnect with them again. I just, I don't care.

• 1:08:08Jay Shetty?

  Yeah.

• 1:08:09Speaker 02

  I just don't care. It don't affect me anymore. Like if something affect me in the moment, but I, I don't, it makes me forget.

• 1:08:18Speaker 02

  I don't know why, it's just the way I am. I don't stay with that shit here. Probably it makes me a better person. I feel, no. Probably it makes me a person, a happier person. I feel that I'm a happier person because of that. I'm not saying I'm perfect. I'm not saying I don't go through shit. Yes, I have a whole bunch of situations in life, but I have better quality of life because I forgive. I have no problem with forgiveness. I have no problem with sitting in a car with somebody that me in the past.

• 1:08:53Speaker 02

  I have no problem with that. I don't feel like some people with their ego them up like, oh yeah, you think you I'm gonna catch you.

• 1:09:01Speaker 02

  I don't have that situation. If I love you back again, I love you back again.

• 1:09:07Speaker 02

  You know, it's just the way I am, you know, and I I don't want people to be like me. I just want people to do whatever the you do to make you happy. You know, whatever to make whatever makes you happy, just do it. That's that's what I do. I ain't trying to live like the way people tell me to. I'm trying to live the way life, the way I'm happy, you know, that's just the way I am.

• 1:09:28Jay Shetty?

  Does that apply to you as well? Do you think you can forgive yourself easily as well?

• 1:09:36Speaker 02

  You know, I've never seen me in a situation where I do not forgive, where where where I need forgiveness for myself because I've done people, things to people. I've been a good human being to people, you know. Stuff I done in the streets and stuff like that are to people that are really bad people. You know, so I don't know if I need their forgiveness, you know.

• 1:10:01Speaker 02

  But uh,

• 1:10:05Speaker 02

  I feel good about me as a human being. You know, I'm happy and I'm proud of myself. I've helped my family. I've helped people in the streets. I've helped my friends. If I buy a motorcycle, we all have motorcycles. If I eat, we all eat. That's just the way I am. The guy in the corner, if he's there, he ain't eating. Come eat with me. You know what I'm saying? I like helping people. I enjoy the smiles on people's face when I help them.

• 1:10:34Speaker 02

  I'm proud of myself because I'm that human being. If I wasn't that human being, I wouldn't be. I'm not a selfish motherfucker. I will never be that guy. I see movies where people help other people and I cry. Tears like that. My girl's been with me in the same room and she see me crying like like a girl in movies. Why? Because I'm a good human being. When you a good human being and you see people doing good, you cry. But if you see shit like that and you don't give a I just think you a piece of shit too. That's just the way I am.

• 1:11:07Jay Shetty?

  Yeah.

• 1:11:08Speaker 02

  Cause you don't care.

• 1:11:09Jay Shetty?

  Yeah.

• 1:11:09Speaker 02

  Why would you not care? Why would you, why, why won't you see somebody helping somebody else? Don't see that in, why would that, that not affect you?

• 1:11:20Jay Shetty?

  Hmm.

• 1:11:21Speaker 02

  It affects me in a good way. It's like shit. So that, I'm proud of myself as a human being. I'm proud of who I am. I'm proud that I like helping people. I'm proud that I'm a real person. I'm proud that I'm a person that if I fuck up, I'll say it up, you know? That's just the way I am. And I'm not perfect. I'll never be perfect. And I'll fuck up tomorrow and I'll fall, but I'll wake up and I'll clean my shit.

• 1:11:46Jay Shetty?

  Hmm.

• 1:11:47Speaker 02

  I keep going, you know?

• 1:11:50Jay Shetty?

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• 1:12:32Jay Shetty?

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• 1:13:17Jay Shetty?

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• 1:13:27Speaker 04

  Mr. President, my company told me of the explosion on our rig on October 2nd. Causing massive water displacement and triggering a tsunami. They all keep the blame on me.

• 1:13:37Speaker 06

  Tom Cruise is. Digger got us into this mess, and Digger's gonna dig us up. From the director of Birdman and The Revenant.

• 1:13:44Speaker 05

  What would happen if I stopped drinking? You're stalled, you're freezing there, that's what.

• 1:13:48Speaker 06

  With great power comes great deniability.

• 1:13:51Speaker 05

  I'm not the first then.

• 1:13:53Speaker 06

  Digger. See the trailer online. Only appears October 2nd. Rated R. Under 17. Not a minute without parent.

• 1:13:58Jay Shetty?

  Why did you say you were gonna retire when you said today you were like, "I would never have done that"? And then what has inspired Insomnia? What part of your heart and mind is that coming from?

• 1:14:10Speaker 02

  Drinking. Drinking makes you say stupid things, makes you get depressed, makes you see everything.

• 1:14:18Jay Shetty?

  Everything closes in.

• 1:14:18Speaker 02

  It's not really. And that's what was going on in that situation. And it made me post a thing that I was retiring. Now I'm not retiring, never, hell no. I will never retire. Music is my life. Music is everything for me. But that's what fucking alcohol do. It up your judgment. You know what I'm saying? And I've been through that a lot. For some reason, it made me not care in that moment. Once I stopped drinking, I'm like, "Hell no." I erased that video and everything. But nah, I'm not retiring. You was asking about the album.

• 1:14:54Jay Shetty?

  Insomnia, the album, yeah. What's that been inspired by with this whole new journey you're on right now? Like you said, you're...

• 1:14:58Speaker 02

  If you listen to the whole album, Insomnia.

• 1:15:04Speaker 02

  All the songs has something to do with the nighttime. And me drinking and me partying and me going crazy and me smoking. And me, uh, my love lives and stuff like that. So the album has that situation that I've been going through these last years. Music is my art of expression. And I, uh, took my time to do this album. And I think it's one of the best albums I ever done. Everything is just, everything has the same color. The album cover is amazing. It's really what I've been through.

• 1:15:45Speaker 02

  Like if you see the picture, you would automatically say, okay, this, I could understand him. Just seeing his face. The songs, from the number one song to the fifteenth song. And not only that, apart from that, this song, Insomnia, that's the single that's coming out. For me, it's gonna be a global hit, cuz I went hard on this song. It talks about the situation of my drinking and all that. But at the same time, it's a sad song, but it's a happy song. It's crazy, like if you listen to it, you would never imagine the way it started.

• 1:16:29Speaker 02

  Cuz it started as a slow R and B sad song. And I told my boy, the guy that, you know, wrote the song with me, Sneakers a badass, by the way.

• 1:16:39Jay Shetty?

  Thanks, man.

• 1:16:41Speaker 02

  I was telling him, yo, the song is badass, but we need a upbeat. We need to make this shit upbeat, man. We need to shit, this song is too good to be just one of the, one of the songs in the album. You know, just one of the songs. And I was like, hell no, we need to make this shit a motherf***ing hit. And I said, let's do Merengue. And I was in the bathroom with my girl, I started f***ing around, you know what I'm saying? Like singing this song.

• 1:17:08Speaker 02

  I did it with my mouth. And I said,

• 1:17:12Speaker 02

  I called my producers like, yo, let's try to do this. And we took it that route. And, bro, I think we cooked a mega hit. So I think the album is just me expressing myself of what I've been through these last years. And at the same time, it made good ass music. So I want people to enjoy it. I want people to have fun with this album and, you know, sit down and analyze the lyrics. Cause everything, every song has a little something that tells you about what I've been through and what I've been going through these last years.

• 1:17:51Jay Shetty?

  I noticed something amazing. When you started talking about the album, you went completely still.

• 1:17:55Speaker 02

  When I went?

• 1:17:55Jay Shetty?

  When you started talking about the music, your whole body and everything went completely still. Completely still. If everyone rewinds and just goes back to that, when you were locked in, talking about the music and the album.

• 1:18:06Speaker 02

  I mean, it's my art, man. It's my art. It's what it would make. It's my psychology, my psychology.

• 1:18:13Jay Shetty?

  Psychology, yeah.

• 1:18:14Speaker 02

  It's my psychology, you know? I feel like it tells my story. It tells my situation. It makes me happy in a way where I could like express myself. And we're always misunderstood as artists. And there's no better way to clear the misunderstandings by your art. You know what I'm saying?

• 1:18:38Jay Shetty?

  Yeah. What's something that people don't know about you that you wish they did?

• 1:18:43Speaker 02

  I don't know. I'm so open.

• 1:18:45Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, that's why I asked. I was like, you've shared so much of your life.

• 1:18:49Speaker 02

  I tell people the way I am. I don't care. I speak what I think. It's really hard.

• 1:18:54Jay Shetty?

  What's something people misunderstand about you that you'd like to clarify?

• 1:18:59Speaker 02

  It could be my situations and my relationships. A lot of people see me jumping around from relationship, relationship. Well, not jumping around, but let's say. I've had a lot of relationships that haven't worked. And for some reason, people think that I just, I'm just unstable. And not necessarily unstable, I just think that sometimes it doesn't work. And it's not easy being an artist and doing what I do and having stable relationships. And if you've seen my past and you see what I've been through, you can't expect me to have the typical picket white fence relationship. You know, it's just not the way it works, you know? I didn't have that in my house, so why should I have that now? And I'm always on the road and it's just really hard.

• 1:19:44Speaker 02

  It's not like I'm a picky guy, I don't care, and I just throw away girls like nothing, you know? But I don't care about that. I don't care. The end of the day, people will never understand you. Yeah. A hundred percent. For sure. And you can't try to make people understand you. You don't need to. You know, I envy old people and they're sixty years old, seventy years old, they don't give a They don't care. They wake up in the morning, they take their pill, they eat, they want to sleep. They don't stress about anything. But in your age and my age, we're always like, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, life, ah, gotta make money, ah.

• 1:20:25Speaker 02

  Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Like, I want to be them. I want to not give a, you know, I want to not care. I want to just enjoy life, enjoy my friends, enjoy my family, enjoy my girl. Yeah. Enjoy my fans, whoever are my fans, because there's fans and there's people that are not your fans that are just talking shit. Fans don't talk shit.

• 1:20:47Speaker 02

  Real fans are there with you. No matter what you go through. If you're up, you're down, you're fat, you're skinny, dead or alive. They're fans. So shout out to my real fans, I love you motherf- To death.

• 1:21:03Jay Shetty?

  For sure, for sure. How how hard was the gastric bypass surgery you went through?

• 1:21:08Speaker 02

  Uh.

• 1:21:10Jay Shetty?

  Was it very physically challenging? Was it stressful?

• 1:21:12Speaker 02

  It was it it it was stressful when I was in bed before the surgery.

• 1:21:16Jay Shetty?

  Hmm.

• 1:21:17Speaker 02

  But after that, man, it was awesome.

• 1:21:18Jay Shetty?

  Yeah.

• 1:21:19Speaker 02

  I I enjoyed it. I do that. I do it again. I enjoyed it a lot, you know, um. And it helped me a lot.

• 1:21:26Jay Shetty?

  Hmm.

• 1:21:27Speaker 02

  A lot of stuff was messing up my stomach, like food that I was eating. Now I don't have that situation.

• 1:21:32Jay Shetty?

  Wow.

• 1:21:32Speaker 02

  You know, I I feel better, better health, play basketball like I'm twenty years old. I'm good, you know, I feel good. I I enjoyed it a lot. It helped me a lot.

• 1:21:42Jay Shetty?

  Yeah.

• 1:21:42Speaker 02

  A lot of food that I couldn't eat before, I can eat now, you know, healthy food. Yeah. So, yeah, I mean, i- i- it was a hard process after, because, you know, you're just drinking liquids and shit.

• 1:21:56Jay Shetty?

  Hmm.

• 1:21:57Speaker 02

  But once you can start eating the, you know.

• 1:21:59Jay Shetty?

  How long do you have to be on liquids for?

• 1:22:01Speaker 02

  I think it's like two weeks.

• 1:22:02Jay Shetty?

  Oh, wow. Just liquids for two weeks?

• 1:22:04Speaker 02

  Just liquids in two weeks. It's not easy.

• 1:22:06Jay Shetty?

  That's not easy.

• 1:22:06Speaker 02

  I've been eating popsicles. I was eating popsicles the whole time. I'm like, pop, pop, pop.

• 1:22:13Jay Shetty?

  Nicky, it's been such a joy getting to know you, man, and I appreciate the honesty, the vulnerability, and it's impressive to just see how aware you are of everything going on when you've been through so much. You've had some incredible life experience and to be standing where you are with being, having the ability to look in a mirror and be able to see yourself and your challenges, it's it's really special, man, so I commend you and I respect you for that.

• 1:22:39Speaker 02

  And the end of the day, there's this therapy for me too, you know, so I I appreciate you. Sometimes we need it.

• 1:22:45Jay Shetty?

  Of course.

• 1:22:46Speaker 02

  I think probably most of the times we need it, so.

• 1:22:48Jay Shetty?

  Of course.

• 1:22:48Speaker 02

  For me, having you, you know, you know, making me talk all of this makes me live a lot better and have a better day today. So I I appreciate you so much. I hope that, uh, all the people enjoy the show and enjoy what we talked today and you know, learn from what they hear and and see it as as a constructive way and not a negative way, you know, because sometimes people

• 1:23:13Speaker 02

  they try to see things in a negative way, but, uh, like I said.

• 1:23:19Speaker 02

  I've learned this. More stupid is the stupid that argues with the stupid. I don't argue with stupid people anymore. I just... I ain't trying to be stupid anymore. They say it like that, so I just sit back, enjoy life, and keep going.

• 1:23:37Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, for sure. We end every interview with a fast five, which means you have to answer every question in one word to one sentence maximum. So you can have one word to one sentence for each question. So I'll ask you a fast five. It's a lightning round, so...

• 1:23:52Speaker 02

  If I could say, I can answer with one word?

• 1:23:53Jay Shetty?

  Or one sentence. You can give me one full sentence, but no more than that.

• 1:23:57Speaker 02

  Okay.

• 1:23:57Jay Shetty?

  The first question is, what is the best advice you've ever heard or received?

• 1:24:01Speaker 02

  Live life.

• 1:24:02Jay Shetty?

  Second question, what is the worst advice you've ever heard or received?

• 1:24:06Speaker 02

  Don't live in Colombia.

• 1:24:09Jay Shetty?

  Did someone say that to you?

• 1:24:10Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 1:24:10Jay Shetty?

  That's funny. How many times did you hear that?

• 1:24:12Speaker 02

  A lot.

• 1:24:13Jay Shetty?

  Okay.

• 1:24:13Speaker 02

  And they said I was stupid. I was like, literally like, I was gonna mess up my career, and look what it gave me.

• 1:24:21Jay Shetty?

  Question number three, your funniest memory or the silliest memory you have. You can give more than one sentence.

• 1:24:28Speaker 02

  Oh.

• 1:24:30Speaker 02

  I have a funny story.

• 1:24:34Speaker 02

  The way I threw you.

• 1:24:38Speaker 02

  So I'm at this club, bro.

• 1:24:39Jay Shetty?

  She's laughing, so it's good. This is a good story, yeah.

• 1:24:41Speaker 02

  I'm at this club, right? This happened in... It's a kind of long story, though.

• 1:24:46Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, yeah, tell us. Yeah, go for it.

• 1:24:47Speaker 02

  Yeah, so I'm at this club, right?

• 1:24:51Speaker 02

  I'm at a VIP party. There's some girls there and stuff like that. And this big, strong guy, ripped like this. He had so many muscles. He looked like a bodybuilder or something like that. He's like, "Yo, I wanna go into the VIP." And I didn't really want him to come in, 'cause I knew he was problems, you know what I'm saying? So I'm like, "Yo, I don't know. I don't work here. You talk to the bouncers." And he looks at me, he's like, "I'm going to destroy you." I'm like, "What the [bleep] you said?" He said, "I'm going to destroy you." I'm like, "Shit." I'm like, "What?" And I punched him. Boom!

• 1:25:31Speaker 02

  And he goes...

• 1:25:33Speaker 02

  This is the best you have? I'm like, yeah. I'm like, it didn't hurt.

• 1:25:41Speaker 02

  So he punched me really hard, boom! And he punches me really hard and then he takes me against the wall, my neck, like that. And he's hitting me and I'm calling my boys and my boys not looking at me. I had a watch in that moment and a big, heavy watch and I take the watch and I hit him in the head with the watch and he doesn't let, he still doesn't let go of me. He has blood coming out and then the bouncers pick him up, the bouncers take him and then when the bouncers take him, I go like, it's like, see, you don't mess with me and then they let him go, like, yo, take, get him again, get him again, they pick him up. And then we get into this limo, right? We get to the limo and we, well, imagine how old this story is. I'm in a limo. I'm telling my boys like, yo, bro, you guys didn't help me, this guy fucked me up.

• 1:26:27Speaker 02

  And then out of nowhere, they throw a bottle at the limo. And then the little Mexican dude's like, hey, this guy wants some problem, I say. And I'm like, yo, yo, yo, yo, you don't understand. This guy is not a human being, do not stop. I hit him with everything, watches, everything, he's not a human being. And, um, he wanted to stop, he wanted to fight with the guy, but I knew the guy was, the guy was a hulk, you know what I'm saying? So they take me to the hotel, you know what I'm saying, I'm all hurt and shit, I'm in the bed. And then out of nowhere, I hear the door going boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. And I hear, that boy out there is three, like, I'm gonna destroy you. And I started, I'm like, I'm trying to, what did I do to you, bro?

• 1:27:09Speaker 02

  I'm screaming and all that, then it was my boys, they were making fun of me. They were making fun of me, man. But the story doesn't end there. Years go by, years go by. I'm talking about, I don't know, probably like 10 years, I don't know, 12 years. I'm at, I'm at, uh, Gran Canarias where I'm, where I had this situation. And guess who I found next to me? This guy comes to me, strong, not that, not as strong as that time and he's like, you know who I am? And I'm like, nah, man, it's like. I'm that guy from that club you had a problem like, oh, you're the destroying guy. And he's like, oh, yeah, yeah. It's like, I'm sorry. I just want to say I'm sorry.

• 1:27:54Speaker 02

  You know, the steroids was messing with me and I got messed up and I just want to say that if you ever need security, you have me and blah, blah, blah. And then he became my friend.

• 1:28:05Jay Shetty?

  And now he's outside as your security.

• 1:28:06Speaker 02

  Nah, I wish, I wish the story was that cool, but nah.

• 1:28:11Speaker 02

  That's just one of the stories. I'm a hundred stories I could tell you, but.

• 1:28:14Jay Shetty?

  That's a good story.

• 1:28:15Speaker 02

  I have so many stories, man.

• 1:28:16Jay Shetty?

  That was a good pick. I like that. That was a great story. It was worth it. I loved it. Uh, question number four, what chapter title would you give this phase of your life? If it was a chapter in your book, what would this chapter title be called?

• 1:28:28Speaker 02

  Insomnia.

• 1:28:30Jay Shetty?

  Nice. And question number five, it's the question we ask to every guest who's ever been on the show. Final question, uh, if you could create one rule or one law that everyone in the world had to follow, what would it be?

• 1:28:43Speaker 02

  Everybody give yourselves a hug.

• 1:28:46Speaker 02

  That would be my rule.

• 1:28:48Jay Shetty?

  I like that.

• 1:28:48Speaker 02

  Everybody give yourselves a hug. That would just be my rule because I think the world needs a hug. This world is going crazy. And every day is going more crazy. And this shit is making it more crazy. I'm sorry, Steve Jobs. We need a hug.

• 1:29:06Jay Shetty?

  I love it. Nicky Jam, everyone. Insomnia is out now, September 6th. Nikki, this was such a, such a joy. I've laughed. I've been reflecting with you. I feel like I've been in your pain with you. I'm so grateful that you just opened up. One of the realest people I've ever met, so raw, so open.

• 1:29:24Speaker 02

  I appreciate you so much.

• 1:29:25Jay Shetty?

  So honorable. I'm grateful, man. I hope I get to spend more time with you, so.

• 1:29:28Speaker 02

  You will.

• 1:29:28Jay Shetty?

  Looking forward to it.

• 1:29:29Speaker 02

  If you ever go to Miami, hit me up.

• 1:29:30Jay Shetty?

  I will let you know now. Yeah.

• 1:29:32Speaker 02

  I promise I won't drink.

• 1:29:34Jay Shetty?

  You can drink, man. You can do whatever you like. I'm joking, man. I'm joking. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Thank you, man. All right, my friend. If this is the year that you're trying to get creative, you're trying to build more, I need you to listen to this episode with Rick Rubin on how to break into your most creative self, how to use unconventional methods that lead to success, and the secret to genuinely loving what you do. If you're trying to find your passion and your lane, Rick Rubin's episode is the one for you.

• 1:30:03Speaker 07

  Just because I like it, that doesn't give it any value. Like, as an artist, if you like it, that's all of the value. That's the success comes when you say, "I like this enough for other people to see it."

• 1:30:15Speaker 08

  Now, more than ever, we need someone on our side. But Rob Whitman? Whitman's votes drove up costs, cut Medicaid, and risked 350,000 Virginians' health care to pay for tax breaks for himself and his donors. He's not on our side. Shannon Taylor will fight corruption, cut taxes, and bring down costs. This November, vote for Shannon Taylor. She's for us. Paid for by HMP, the House Majority PAC dot com. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

• 1:30:44Speaker 04

  Mr. President, my company foreme of the explosion on our rig.

• 1:30:47Speaker 06

  On October 2nd.

• 1:30:48Speaker 04

  Causing massive water displacement and triggering a tsunami. They all heap the blame on me.

• 1:30:53Speaker 06

  Tom Cruise is. Digger got us into this mess, and Digger's gonna dig us up. From the director of Birdman and the Revenant.

• 1:31:01Speaker 05

  What would happen if I stopped drilling? You stop, you freeze it, that's what.

• 1:31:05Speaker 06

  With great power comes great deniability.

• 1:31:08Speaker 05

  I'm not the first then.

• 1:31:09Speaker 06

  Digger. See the trailer online. Only in theaters October 2nd. Rated R. Under 17. Not a middle without parent.

• 1:31:14Speaker 02

  Espolone Tequila. Balanced, delicious. 100% agave, 0% ego. Just add ice, lime, and your mouth. For a real margarita, ride the rooster.

• 1:31:24Speaker 05

  Espolone Tequila, 40% alcohol by volume, 80 proof. Copyright 2026, Compaq America, New York, New York. Drink responsibly.