Who was Raul Conde? Tributes pour in as Erica Mena's baby daddy dies aged 52

The father of Erica Mena's son Raul Conde has recently died (Image via AllensCInd27427/X)

Well-known rapper Raul Conde has recently passed away at the age of 52 due to a long battle with illness, as reported by HotNewHipHop. He was mostly known as the father of Erica Mena's eldest son, King Javien Conde. Raul was previously a member of the record label Terror Squad during the 80s and a director for the single Lean Back, released in 2004.

Conde's death was announced by Mena through Instagram where she shared a picture featuring Conde with her son. She additionally posted a video featuring the moments Conde spent with her and their son. The caption stated:

"You rеally wеrе thе onе who put mе in position to win. From thе momеnt you laid еyеs on mе. Forget everything else. You knеw that I would bе thе onе that could and would. Thank you. I accomplished so much because of what you saw in me."

Erica Mena's tribute post on Instagram (Image via @ericamena/Instagram)

Erica Mena continued by writing that she is thankful to Raul Conde for letting her become a mother and the duo contributed together in raising a "beautiful, gentle, intelligent young man." Mena recalled the time when Raul was with her along with the rest of the family members and wrote:

"On this very day last year, it was all of us together at my house. My babies call you Tio Raul. Broken that was our last family dinner with you. I'm so grateful I got to experience the true meaning of Loyalty from you – The Don! You really are unmatched, No one is as Loyal as you."

Mena stated that her son King is going to miss Conde and that he will be now protecting all the kids like he did over the years.

Raul Conde was romantically linked to Erica Mena for a brief period

As per Famous Birthdays, Raul Conde is a well-known rapper and video director. He gained recognition as a member of the record label Terror Squad during the 80s and has been the director of a music video for the song, Lean Back, from the album True Story.

Conde was additionally featured in multiple documentaries such as Inside the Label, Unsung, and more. Hе was born on July 29, 1971, and spеnt his childhood in Thе Bronx in Nеw York. Dеtailеd information about his carееr and еarly lifе is yеt to bе rеvеalеd.

According to Tuko, Raul started dating Erica Mena in 2000 and they shared an on-and-off relationship for a long time. They separated in 2007 after Mena reportedly claimed that Raul was being abusive towards her. While they were in a relationship, they had a son named King Javien Conde, who was born on March 1, 2007, and Erica was only 19 years old at the time.

Distractify states that a dispute between Raul and Erica was once featured in an episode of Love & Hip Hop. The pair reportedly continued to get involved in multiple fights for a long time until they decided to solve their issues for their son in 2014. Erica and Raul never addressed anything much about their relationship over the years.

Mena's name was once linked to Bow Wow after they were engaged from 2014 to 2015. E! News states that Mena tied the knot with Safaree Samuels in 2019 after getting engaged in 2018 and became the parents of two children.

Netizens express their grief on social media after Raul Conde's death

Raul Conde became popular for his work as a rapper and a music video director. Social media platforms were flooded with tributes when people heard about his demise:

Netizens express their grief on Instagram (Image via @ericamena/Instagram)

Apart from the common public, various members of the hip-hop community also paid tribute to Conde. One of them was rapper Fat Joe who shared a few pictures on Instagram featuring the time he spent with Conde over the years. He wrote:

"I thought we'd get old together and look back at the times we had and laugh. No one understood me like you, you were God sent my brother I wish I could get one last talk with you."

Immediate information about Raul Conde's survivors remains unknown.