Erica Mena | |
|---|---|
 Mena in 2015 | |
| Born | Erica Jasmin Mena [1] November 8, 1987 Newburgh, New York, U.S. |
| Other names | Erica Mena Samuels [2] |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, model, socialite |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Dance-pop |
Erica Jasmin Mena (born November 8, 1987) is an American actress, model, singer and video vixen. She is best known for her appearances in the Love & Hip Hop franchise from 2011 to 2023, particularly in the New York and Atlanta installments. [3] [4]
Mena first gained notoriety as a model [5] and "video vixen", through her appearances in various hip hop music videos, for artists such as Chris Brown, Fabolous, Akon and Fat Joe. [6] [7] She became known to a larger audience through her reality television appearances, including Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami and Love & Hip Hop: New York , the original installment of the Love & Hip Hop franchise. [8]
She has released two autobiographies, Chronicles of a Confirmed Bachelorette [9] and Underneath It All. [10] In August 2017, it was announced that Mena would compete in the first season of VH1's Scared Famous , which premiered in October 2017. In 2018, Erica joined the cast of Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta for the seventh season. [11] In 2019, she returned to Love & Hip Hop: New York for its tenth anniversary season.
Mena was fired from Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta in September 2023, after calling fellow cast member Spice a "blue monkey". [12]
Mena is openly bisexual. [13] Mena is of Dominican and Puerto Rican ancestry. She graduated from Newburgh Free Academy in Newburgh, NY. [14] She has a son, King Javien Conde (b. March 1, 2007) with video director and rapper Raul Conde, a member of Fat Joe's Terror Squad. Conde died on November 22, 2023. [15]
Mena was previously engaged to Bow Wow. In December 2018, Mena became engaged to rapper and television personality Safaree Samuels. On October 7, 2019, she and Samuels married at the White Castle in New Jersey. [16] Their daughter was born in 2020. [17] On May 4, 2021, she announced that she and Samuels were expecting their second child together. [18] On May 25, 2021, TMZ reported that Mena officially filed for divorce from Samuels. [19] Their son was born in 2021. [20]
In October 2018, Mena and boyfriend Clifford Dixon were arrested at Mena's Johns Creek, Georgia residence for a domestic dispute, with Dixon charged with criminal trespass and Mena charged with marijuana possession. The police were called when roommates were disturbed by the commotion upstairs when Dixon kicked down a bedroom door that Mena had locked to barricade herself. Both were released when posting bail. [21] [22] [23]
In 2023, Mena was fired from Love & Hip Hop for using a racial slur. [24] She later issued an apology claiming that when she made monkey noisees and called the Jamaican woman a "monkey" she wasn't being racist or racially motivated. [25]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Almost Amazing | Cara | |
| 2019 | I Got the Hook Up 2 | Miss Peaches | |
| Swag Inc. | Natasha | ||
| 2022 | The Millennial | Lola Etienne | |
| The Stepmother | Zoey | ||
| The Stepmother 2 | Zoey | ||
| 2023 | The Assistant | Dr. Raven Fields | |
| You're Not Alone | Beverly | ||
| The Stepmother 3 | Zoey | ||
| Picture Me Dead | Kristen |
| Year | Legacy | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | VH1 News Presents | Herself | Episode: "Hip Hop Videos: Sexploitation on the Set" |
| 2009 | Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami | Herself/Dash Employee | Recurring cast (season 1) |
| 2011-20 | Love & Hip Hop: New York | Herself | Supporting cast (season 2); main cast (seasons 3-5, 10) |
| 2013 | The Show with Vinny | Herself | Episode: "Erica Mena & Austin Mahone" |
| 2015 | CSI: Cyber | Brody's Girl | Episode: "CMND:/Crash" |
| 2016 | Bad Girls Club 16: Social Disruption | Herself | Reunion Co-host |
| 2017 | Bad Girls Club 17: East Meets West | Herself | Reunion Co-host |
| 2017 | Scared Famous | Herself | Contestant |
| Master of None | Nikki | Episode: "Thanksgiving" | |
| 2018 | Hustle in Brooklyn | Herself | Recurring cast |
| 2018-19 | Hip Hop Squares | Herself | Recurring guest |
| 2018-23 | Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta | Herself | Main cast (seasons 7, 10-11); supporting cast (season 9) |
| 2021 | Sacrifice | Bella | Episode: "Mama Didn't Lie" |
| 2022 | Hush | Gina | Main cast (season 1) |
| 2004 | "Lean Back" | Terror Squad |
| "Ain't Nothing Wrong" | Houston (singer) | |
| 2005 | "Candy Shop" | 50 Cent featuring Olivia |
| "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" | Chris Brown | |
| "Tell Me" | Bobby Valentino |
Love & Hip Hop is a media franchise that consists of several reality television series broadcast on VH1. The shows document the personal and professional lives of several hip hop and R&B musicians, performers, managers, and record producers residing in various metropolitan areas of the United States. The original installment premiered on March 6, 2011, and its success resulted in spin-offs based in Atlanta, Hollywood, and Miami.
Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta is an American reality television series that premiered June 18, 2012 on VH1. The series chronicles the lives of several people in Atlanta involved with hip hop music, and features appearances from notable figures associated with Southern hip hop.
Love & Hip Hop: New York is an American reality television series that premiered March 6, 2011 on VH1. The series chronicles the lives of several people in New York City, involved with hip hop music, and features appearances from notable figures associated with East Coast hip hop.
Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood is the third installment of the Love & Hip Hop reality television franchise. It premiered on September 15, 2014 on VH1 and chronicles the lives of several people in the Hollywood area, involved with hip hop music. The show features appearances from notable figures associated with West Coast hip hop.
Joseline Hernandez is a Puerto Rican reality television personality, rapper, and actress. She is best known for starring in the first six seasons of the VH1 reality television series Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta and the spin-off Stevie J & Joseline: Go Hollywood with Stevie J. She has starred in the Zeus Network reality series Joseline's Cabaret since 2020.
Grace Latoya Hamilton, known professionally as Spice, is a Jamaican dancehall musician, singer, and songwriter. Known as the "Queen of Dancehall", Spice is recognised as one of the most prominent dancehall artists in the world. She is known for her aggressive flow, musical versatility and outspoken lyrics. Spice first gained recognition after performing at the annual dancehall festival Sting in 2000. She released her first single "Complain" for record producer Dave Kelly's Madhouse Records in 2003. She continued to release the singles "Right There" and "Hype", even being featured on songs with Jimmy Cliff and Beenie Man in 2004 and 2006, respectively.
Safaree Lloyd Samuels is an American reality television actor and rapper. In the early 2000s, he was a hype man for the hip hop group Hoodstars, which included rapper Nicki Minaj. He later gained public attention for dating and being a hype man for Minaj until 2014. In 2016, he joined the cast of the VH1 reality show Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood, and then Love & Hip Hop: New York in 2017. He also joined Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta and Love & Hip Hop: Miami, making him the only Love & Hip Hop cast member to have appeared in all four shows. As a solo artist, he's released one studio album and five mixtapes.
Love & Hip Hop: Miami is an American reality television series that premiered January 1, 2018 on VH1. It chronicles the lives of several people in the Miami area involved with hip hop music. The show features appearances from notable figures associated with Southern hip hop, as well as Latin music and reggaeton.
The eighth season of the reality television series Love & Hip Hop: New York aired on VH1 from October 30, 2017 until March 12, 2018. The season was primarily filmed in New York City, New York. It is executively produced by Mona Scott-Young and Stephanie R. Gayle for Monami Entertainment, Toby Barraud, Stefan Springman, Mala Chapple, David DiGangi, Lauren Veteri and Michael Carrozza for Eastern TV, and Nina L. Diaz, Liz Fine and Vivian Gomez for VH1.
The seventh season of the reality television series Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta premiered on VH1 on March 19, 2018 until July 16, 2018. The season was primarily filmed in Atlanta, Georgia. It is executively produced by Mona Scott-Young and Stephanie R. Gayle for Monami Entertainment, Toby Barraud, Stefan Springman, David DiGangi, Lashan Browning and Donna Edge-Rachell for Eastern TV, and Nina L. Diaz, Liz Fine and Vivian Gomez for VH1.
The eighth season of the reality television series Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta aired on VH1 from March 25, 2019, until July 29, 2019. The season was primarily filmed in Atlanta, Georgia. It is executively produced by Mona Scott-Young and Stephanie R. Gayle for Monami Entertainment, Toby Barraud, Stefan Springman, David DiGangi, Jamail Shelton, Brian Schornak and Richard Allen for Eastern TV, and Nina L. Diaz and Vivian Gomez for VH1.
The tenth and final season of the reality television series Love & Hip Hop: New York first aired on VH1 on December 16, 2019 until March 9, 2020. The season was primarily filmed in New York City, New York and executive produced by Mona Scott-Young, Stephanie R. Gayle and Maricarmen "MC" Lopez for Monami Entertainment and Dan Cesareo, Lucilla D'Agostino, Donna Edge-Rachell, Kimberly Osorio, Shelley Sinha and Michael Carrozza for Big Fish Entertainment. Nina L. Diaz, Lashan Browning and Phakiso Collins are executive producers for VH1.
The ninth season of the reality television series Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta first aired on VH1 from March 16, 2020 until May 11, 2020. The season was primarily filmed in Atlanta, Georgia. It is executive produced by Mona Scott-Young and Stephanie R. Gayle for Monami Entertainment and Dan Cesareo, Lucilla D'Agostino, Donna Edge Rachell, Jamail Shelton, Paris Bauldwin and Emily Terkell for Big Fish Entertainment. Nina L. Diaz, Sitarah Pendelton, Lashan Browning and Phakiso Collins are executive producers for VH1.
VH1's Family Reunion: Love & Hip Hop Edition is an American reality television series that premiered February 8, 2021 on VH1. The series serves as a spin-off and crossover of the network's Love & Hip Hop franchise; featuring cast members from Love & Hip Hop: New York, Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta, Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood and Love & Hip Hop: Miami.
The tenth season of the reality television series Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta aired on VH1 from July 5, 2021 until November 21, 2022. The season was primarily filmed in Atlanta, Georgia. It is executive produced by Mona Scott-Young and Stephanie R. Gayle for Monami Productions and Lashan Browning, Donna Edge-Rachell, Paris Bauldwin, Daniel Wiener and Jamail Shelton for New Group Productions. Sitarah Pendelton and Phakiso Collins are executive producers for VH1.
