Erica Mena

* LHHATL (Season 10)
* LHHNY (Season 10)
* LHHATL (Season 7)
* LHHNY (Seasons 3-5)

**Erica Mena** is a main cast member on *Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta* since season ten, and a main cast member in seasons three through five of *Love & Hip Hop: New York*. She was the anti-heroic protagonist of seasons 3 through 5 of New York.

Introduced in the later half of the second season of *New York*, Mena was a former video girl aspiring to be a singer. Mena gets into a physical altercation with Kimbella, while starting a relationship with Rich Dollaz. Mena becomes one of the main stars following season three, which continues to chronicles the ups, and downs of her music career. She eventually starts a relationship with Cyn Santana, while still trying to work with Rich which leads to a feud with Dollaz, and Santana.

By season five, Mena and Santana broke up, and Erica gets engaged to Bow Wow. She eventually leaves the show post season five, and refused to film with the cast during that season's reunion. Mena returned to *Atlanta* as a main cast member for season seven, and highlighted her trying to break into the Atlanta music scene. She has a feud with Just Brittany, and a one-sided flirtation with Tommie.

Mena eventually becomes an off-screen figure during season nine of *New York*, when her engagement with Safaree is made public sparking tension between his cast members. Erica eventually returns to the show for the anniversary tenth, and final season of New York. Intially an antagonist for the season, Mena eventually warms up and mends her relationship with Cyn, while highlighting her marriage to Safaree.

She also appears as a supporting cast member in season two of *Love & Hip Hop: New York.* She also appears as a main cast member in season seven of *Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta* and supporting in season nine.

## Before *Love & Hip Hop*

Erica Mena is an urban model, video vixen and singer. She was born in The Bronx, New York City to Sonia Mena, her Puerto Rican mother and Brian Mena, her Dominican father. She has a son, King Javien Conde (born March 1, 2007) with ex-boyfriend, Raul Conde, who is a member of Terror Squad with Fat Joe and Remy Ma. In 2009, she appeared as a troublemaking Dash employee on the E! reality show *Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami*.

## *Love & Hip Hop* franchise (2011–2023)

Erica joins the cast of *Love & Hip Hop: New York* as a supporting cast member in season two. She is introduced as a rival of Kimbella's, which stems from their days competing for modelling jobs, and the two get into a violent altercation in her first episode. The fight, in which champagne glasses were thrown, causing both to bleed, would lead to stronger security measures for all *Love & Hip Hop* shows from then on, including hiring personal bodyguards for the cast and enforcing a total ban on glass and metal silverware on set.

She is promoted to the main cast for the third season, which focuses on her turbulent relationship with manager Rich Dollaz and his struggles to kickstart her music career. Erica identifies as bisexual and enters a relationship with a woman, Cyn Santana, in the show's fourth season. Their relationship disintegrates in season five and Erica finds love with rapper Bow Wow. Later, the two become engaged.

Erica refused to film onstage with the other cast members during the season's reunion special, announcing that the season would be her last. Erica and Bow Wow separated just months after she quit the series.

Erica returned to the franchise in 2017, first appearing in the special *Love & Hip Hop New York: Dirty Little Secrets*, and then joining the cast of *Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta* in season seven, having relocating to Atlanta to kickstart her music career. She reconnects with her old friend Estelita and tries to steer her away from Stevie J, who she views as exploitive and manipulative. Her and Stevie's feud became a driving storyline during the latter half of the season, culminating in a heated argument at the show's reunion special in which he storms offstage. She does not return the next season, but would appear as a commentator in the special *40 Greatest Love & Hip Hop Moments: The Reboot*.

On December 24, 2018, Erica became engaged to fellow Love & Hip Hop cast member, Safaree after a month of dating and on September 12, 2019, it was confirmed that Erica and Safaree were expecting their first child together. On October 7, 2019, Erica & Safaree got married weeks after they announced their pregnancy at Legacy Castle in New Jersey. That same year, Erica rejoined the cast of *Love & Hip Hop: New York* for its tenth anniversary season, which chronicles her and Safaree's wedding, as well as the birth of their daughter. On February 3, 2020, Erica gave birth to their daughter, Safire Majesty Samuels. On June 28, 2021, Erica gave birth to their son, Legend Brian Samuels.

In 2023, Erica was fired from the show for using a racial slur against Spice during a heated argument in Season 11.

## Gallery

**Opening credits**

Erica in the opening credits of *LHHNY* seasons 3–5.Erica in the opening credits of *LHHATL* season 7.Erica & Safaree in the opening credits of *LHHNY* season 10.Erica & Safaree in the opening credits of *LHHATL* season 10.
**Green screen looks**

Erica's green screen look on *LHHNY* season 2.Erica's green screen look on *LHHNY* season 3.Erica's green screen look on *LHHNY* season 4.Erica's green screen look on *LHHNY* season 5.Erica's green screen look in *LHHATL* season 7.Erica's green screen look in *LHHNY* season 10.Erica's green screen look in *LHHATL* season 9.Erica's green screen look in *LHHATL* Season 10A
## Appearances

Erica has 88 appearances so far.

 10.01, 10.02, 10.03, 10.04, 10.06, 10.07, 10.08, 10.10, 10.11, 10.12, 10.13

## Trivia

Erica also appears on the VH1 reality competition show *Scared Famous* with fellow *Love & Hip Hop* franchise cast members Nikki Mudarris, Yung Joc and Safaree. Her and Safaree lasted until the show's finale, where they tied at third place.