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 recording artists, music executives and record producers residing in various metropolitan areas of the United States. The original franchise version, Love & Hip Hop: New York, premiered on March 6, 2011. Its success resulted in spin-offs based in Atlanta, Hollywood, and Miami.
The series is known for its large ensemble cast. Many are notable figures in hip hop and R&B, who appear in the opening credits as leading cast members. The franchise is also known for launching the careers of previously unknown artists, most notably K. Michelle and Cardi B. Each incarnation of the franchise features a sprawling supporting cast, credited as "additional cast" or "featured" in the show's end credits. These secondary cast members appear in green screen confessional segments and (for the most part) have the same amount of screen time and storyline focus as the show's main cast members. Over the years, several supporting cast members have been upgraded to lead.
Several cast members have made crossover appearances on different incarnations throughout the show's history, most notably K. Michelle and Safaree Samuels, who both have had a starring role on Atlanta, New York and Hollywood. They are followed by Erica Mena and Yandy Smith-Harris, who have starred on both New York and Atlanta, and Joseline Hernandez, who has starred on both Atlanta and Miami.
The franchise's popularity has spawned the spin-off shows, Chrissy & Mr. Jones, K. Michelle: My Life, Stevie J & Joseline: Go Hollywood, Leave It to Stevie and Remy & Papoose: Meet the Mackies, as well as several television specials, an aftershow, a mobile game and an official podcast.
Cast timeline Main cast (receives star billing at some point in the series) Secondary cast (appears in green screen confessional segments and in end credits alongside the main cast) Guest cast (appears in a guest role, cameo appearance or archive footage)