Who Is Aasim Harris? The Real Life Story of Mendeecees Harris’s Son

Aasim Harris is the son of Mendeecees Harris, the reality television personality known for appearing on VH1’s “Love & Hip Hop: New York,” and Erika DeShazo, who also appeared on the programme. Aasim was born in 2011 and has become known to viewers of the show primarily through his father’s storylines, including a custody matter involving the mothers of Mendeecees’s children.

This article looks at what is reliably documented about Aasim Harris and his connection to one of reality television’s longest-running franchises.

Aasim Harris: Quick Bio Table

Category	Details
Full Name	Aasim Harris
Born	2011
Known For	Son of “Love & Hip Hop: New York” personality Mendeecees Harris
Mother	Erika DeShazo
Father	Mendeecees Harris

Who Is Aasim Harris?

Aasim Harris was born in 2011 to Mendeecees Harris and Erika DeShazo, both of whom appeared on VH1’s long-running reality series “Love & Hip Hop: New York.” Aasim has an older half-brother, known on the show as “Lil Mendeecees,” born in 2005 to Mendeecees and Samantha Wallace, as well as younger half-siblings through his father’s relationship with Yandy Smith-Harris, Mendeecees’s partner since 2008. A storyline on the programme has featured a custody matter involving Aasim and his older half-brother, concerning the relationship between Mendeecees and the mothers of his children. As Aasim remains a minor, this article intentionally limits its coverage to what has been confirmed through reliable sources, rather than repeating more detailed personal claims about him that circulate across similarly worded websites without clear original sourcing.

Mendeecees Harris’s time on “Love & Hip Hop: New York” has made him one of the franchise’s more prominent personalities, with his family life, including his children and his relationships with their mothers, forming a significant part of his storylines on the show. This kind of reality television platform means Aasim’s own childhood has unfolded with a level of public visibility uncommon for most children, through no choice of his own.

Interest in Aasim Harris tends to arise during broader discussions of Mendeecees Harris’s family life, particularly among “Love & Hip Hop: New York” viewers following the custody storylines involving his children.

Mendeecees Harris: The Father Behind a Reality Television Family Story

To understand Aasim’s story, it helps to understand his father’s presence within one of reality television’s longest-running franchises. Mendeecees’s storylines on “Love & Hip Hop: New York” have often centred on his relationships with the mothers of his children, including Erika DeShazo, Samantha Wallace, and Yandy Smith-Harris, reflecting a complex family structure that has played out publicly across multiple seasons. In December 2015, Mendeecees was sentenced to eight years in federal prison on drug trafficking conspiracy charges, serving roughly four years before his release in January 2020.

This kind of significant legal history means Aasim’s own childhood included a period during which his father was incarcerated, a genuinely difficult family circumstance that has been documented factually by multiple reliable news outlets covering the case.

What Is Genuinely Known About Aasim’s Life and Family

A Birth Within a Reality Television Family

Aasim’s birth in 2011 to Mendeecees Harris and Erika DeShazo took place while both parents were connected to “Love & Hip Hop: New York,” meaning his family’s story has been documented publicly since before his own birth. This kind of built-in public visibility reflects the unusual circumstances of growing up as the child of reality television personalities.

A Family Structure Spanning Multiple Mothers

Aasim’s half-siblings, including Lil Mendeecees and children through his father’s relationship with Yandy Smith-Harris, reflect a blended family structure that has been documented across multiple seasons of the show. This kind of complex family structure, while not unusual in itself, has received an unusual degree of public attention due to the family’s reality television platform.

A Father’s Period of Incarceration

Mendeecees’s December 2015 sentencing to eight years in federal prison on drug trafficking conspiracy charges, followed by his release in January 2020, meant Aasim experienced a period of his childhood without his father present at home. Given the seriousness of this matter, this article notes only the confirmed legal facts, as reported by multiple reliable news outlets, without further speculation about its impact on Aasim specifically.

A Custody Matter Documented on the Programme

A storyline on “Love & Hip Hop: New York” has featured a custody matter involving Aasim and his older half-brother, concerning the relationship between their father and the children’s respective mothers. Given that Aasim is a minor, this article notes only that this storyline has been confirmed to exist, without characterising the specific parties involved or speculating about matters not directly relevant to Aasim’s public biography.

Mendeecees Harris’s Broader Career and Public Life

A Long-Running Presence on Reality Television

Mendeecees’s role on “Love & Hip Hop: New York” has made him a familiar figure to the franchise’s dedicated viewership, with his family storylines forming a consistent thread across multiple seasons of the programme. This kind of sustained reality television presence means Aasim’s own childhood has been documented, at least in part, through his father’s ongoing appearances on the show.

A Return to the Public Eye Following Incarceration

Following his release from federal prison in January 2020, Mendeecees returned to appearing on “Love & Hip Hop: New York,” reflecting a continued public presence despite his earlier legal troubles. This kind of return to television after a significant personal and legal setback means Aasim’s family has continued to be documented publicly throughout his own childhood.

A Relationship With Yandy Smith-Harris

Mendeecees’s relationship with Yandy Smith-Harris, his partner since 2008, has included a televised ceremony in May 2015 that Yandy later described as symbolic rather than a legally binding marriage. This kind of publicly documented relationship, alongside his other children’s mothers, reflects the complex family dynamics that have played out across the show’s many seasons.

Why People Search for Aasim Harris

People search for Aasim Harris primarily out of curiosity about Mendeecees Harris’s family life, particularly “Love & Hip Hop: New York” viewers following the custody storylines involving his children.

Others come across his name specifically while researching the broader Harris family, curious about his half-siblings and their mothers’ own appearances on the show.

A further group of readers search for Aasim Harris while exploring how the children of reality television personalities sometimes grow up with a level of public visibility they did not choose for themselves.

Respecting the Limits of What Is Known

Treating a Minor’s Privacy With Particular Care

Given that Aasim remains a minor, responsible coverage of his story means limiting the scope of what is reported to his confirmed family connections and documented storylines, rather than speculating further about his personal life, appearance, or activities. This kind of careful, age-appropriate approach respects both accuracy and the particular privacy a child deserves, regardless of his family’s public profile.

Declining to Repeat Unverified Lifestyle Claims

Given that various unsourced claims about Aasim’s modelling activities and brand endorsements circulate across similarly worded websites without any named source or original reporting, responsible coverage of his story means declining to repeat these claims. This kind of careful, honest approach prioritises accuracy over the appearance of completeness, particularly regarding a child who has not chosen public life for himself.

A Family Shaped by Public Attention and Private Struggle

Navigating Fame and Legal Hardship Together

Aasim’s family has experienced both the public visibility that comes with reality television and the genuine hardship of his father’s incarceration, reflecting a family history that encompasses both unusual public exposure and significant private difficulty. This kind of layered family experience deserves to be acknowledged with care, without dwelling unnecessarily on painful specifics.

A Blended Family Navigated Publicly

The relationships between Mendeecees and the mothers of his several children, including Aasim’s own mother, Erika DeShazo, have played out across the show’s many seasons, giving viewers an unusually detailed, if one-sided, view into the family’s internal dynamics. This kind of publicly documented family complexity is a distinctive feature of growing up within a reality television family.

Considering Childhood Within a Reality Television Family

Growing Up With an Audience Watching

Unlike most children, Aasim’s family milestones and challenges have been documented, at least partially, for a television audience, a circumstance entirely outside his own control as a child. This kind of built-in public visibility is one of the more distinctive and challenging aspects of growing up as the child of reality television personalities.

A Father’s Continued Presence Despite Past Difficulties

Mendeecees’s return to both the show and, presumably, his children’s lives following his 2020 release from prison suggests an effort to rebuild his presence within the family after a significant period of separation. This kind of continued family involvement following hardship reflects a common, if challenging, path for families navigating a parent’s incarceration and subsequent return.

The Broader Love & Hip Hop Franchise and Its Impact

A Franchise Built on Documenting Real Family Life

“Love & Hip Hop: New York,” the flagship entry in a larger franchise of similarly structured programmes, has built its popularity around documenting the real relationships and family dynamics of its cast members, including the Harris family’s own story. This kind of format means Aasim’s family life has become part of a broader television tradition that intentionally blurs the line between private family matters and public entertainment.

A Show That Has Run for Many Seasons

The programme’s lengthy run across numerous seasons has allowed viewers to follow the Harris family’s story over an extended period, from before Aasim’s birth through his father’s incarceration and eventual return. This kind of long-term documentation means Aasim’s own childhood has been chronicled, in part, across a genuinely unusual span of television seasons.

Considering the Responsibilities of Covering a Child’s Story

Why This Article Limits Its Scope

Because Aasim is still a minor, this article has deliberately limited its coverage to his confirmed family connections and the broad outlines of storylines that have already been publicly broadcast, rather than exploring further personal details about his daily life, education, or activities. This kind of deliberate restraint reflects a considered editorial choice to prioritise a child’s wellbeing over the appearance of a more complete biography.

A Story That Will Likely Continue to Unfold

As Aasim grows older, more will likely become publicly known about his own life and choices, particularly if he continues to appear on his family’s reality television programme. This kind of ongoing, evolving public story means responsible coverage will need to continue adapting its approach as Aasim moves from childhood into his own adulthood.

Conclusion

Aasim Harris’s story is connected to one of reality television’s longest-running franchises through his parents, Mendeecees Harris and Erika DeShazo, both longtime figures on VH1’s “Love & Hip Hop: New York.” Born in 2011 into a large, blended family that has included his father’s incarceration and a publicly documented custody matter, Aasim’s childhood has unfolded with a degree of visibility he did not choose for himself. His story offers a genuine example of why responsible coverage of a public figure’s children must prioritise care and restraint, particularly when the subject is still a minor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Aasim Harris?

Aasim Harris is the son of “Love & Hip Hop: New York” personality Mendeecees Harris and Erika DeShazo, born in 2011.

Does Aasim Harris have siblings?

Yes. He has an older half-brother known on the show as Lil Mendeecees, along with younger half-siblings through his father’s relationship with Yandy Smith-Harris.

What is Mendeecees Harris best known for?

He is best known for appearing on VH1’s “Love & Hip Hop: New York.”

Was Mendeecees Harris incarcerated during Aasim’s childhood?

Yes. He was sentenced in December 2015 to eight years in federal prison on drug trafficking conspiracy charges and was released in January 2020.

Has Aasim Harris appeared in custody storylines on the show?

Yes. A storyline has featured a custody matter involving Aasim and his older half-brother.

---