'Whip/Nae Nae' Rapper Silento Gets 30 Years For Cousin's Murder
etimes.in
/ Jun 12, 2025, 12:59PM IST
Silento, the rapper behind the viral hit "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)," has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for killing his cousin, Frederick Rooks III, in 2021. The 27-year-old entered a guilty plea but claimed mental illness at the time of the crime. Rooks was found shot multiple times in the early hours of January 21 in DeKalb County, Georgia. Police recovered ten shell casings at the scene, and a white BMW SUV was seen fleeing moments after. Investigators later confirmed the vehicle belonged to Silento, real name Ricky Hawk. Surveillance footage, GPS tracking, and ballistic evidence all linked him to the killing. The murder weapon was found with Hawk at the time of his arrest.
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NDTV
2 days ago
- NDTV
US Rapper Silento, Best Known For Hit Song 'Watch Me Whip', Gets 30 Years In Prison For Killing Cousin
US rapper Silento, best known for his hit song 'Watch Me Whip', has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder of his 34-year-old cousin, Frederick Rooks III, in 2021. According to the New York Post, the 27-year-old rapper, whose real name is Ricky Lamar Hawk, pleaded guilty but mentally ill Wednesday to four charges, including voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during a felony crime, and concealing the death of his cousin. A murder charge was dropped as part of the plea agreement. Voluntary manslaughter came with a 20-year prison sentence, while the firearm possession and concealment of death counts entail five years each. Hawk has been in jail since his February 2021 arrest, per the outlet. Silento is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. He rose to fame in 2015 with his debut song 'Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)'. The song sparked a global craze and racked up millions of views on YouTube. The track even peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2021, police found the rapper shot in the leg and face outside a home in a suburban area near Decatur. Cops said that they found 10 bullet casings near Rook's body, and the security video from a nearby home showed a white BMW SUV speeding away shortly after the gunshots. A family member of Mr Rooks reportedly told officials that Silento had picked up Rooks in a white BMW SUV, and GPS data and other cameras put the vehicle at the site of the shooting. The rapper then confessed to the crime 10 days later after he was arrested. The bullet casings found at the scene matched the gun Silento had when he was arrested, officials said. The prior year, Silento was charged while living in Southern California for allegedly threatening two people with a hatchet. He had been on bail after a recent arrest. According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, Hawk "walked into an unlocked stranger's home" and attempted to strike the two people in the home with a hatchet before one of them managed to disarm him." In 2020, the rapper was also arrested after police said they clocked him driving 143 miles per hour (230 kilometres per hour) on Interstate 85 in DeKalb County.
Indian Express
2 days ago
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Billboard rapper Silentó sentenced to 30 years in prison for killing his cousin; know who he is
Atlanta rapper Silentó, who rose to fame with his viral 2015 hit 'Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)', has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the killing of his cousin, Frederick Rooks III. The tragic incident unfolded on January 21, 2021, when Rooks was found shot multiple times outside a house near Decatur, Georgia. Investigators recovered 10 shell casings at the scene, and security camera footage later showed Silentó speeding away in a white BMW SUV. He was arrested weeks later in DeKalb County and charged with murder. Silentó, most known for his song/dance 'Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)', has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for killing his cousin. — Pop Base (@PopBase) June 11, 2025 According to Silentó's publicist, Chanel Hudson, he had been battling serious mental health struggles leading up to the crime. She previously revealed that the rapper had attempted to take his own life in 2020, describing the period before his arrest as a downward spiral. This week, Silentó entered a plea of guilty but mentally ill to charges including voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, firearm possession during the commission of a crime, and concealing a death. A US court handed him a 30-year prison sentence for the killing, bringing a devastating chapter to a once-promising career to an end. Silentó, whose real name is Richard Lamar 'Ricky' Hawk, shot to fame in 2015 thanks to his viral hit 'Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)'. The track did not just dominate the Billboard charts–it set off a full-blown dance phenomenon around the world. The song's catchy hook and easy-to-learn moves turned it into a social media staple, with millions recreating the dance on platforms like YouTube and Vine. It even climbed to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. After that meteoric rise, Silentó tried to build on his success. He teamed up with Punch in 2016 for a collaboration that won the World Collaboration Award at the Seoul Music Awards. That same year, he hit the road with Let's Dance: The Tour, riding the wave of his breakout moment. But his career soon unravelled amid mounting legal troubles. In 2017, a dispute over a contract left him stuck in the UAE, unable to leave the country for a time. Things only got worse by 2020, with a string of arrests ranging from domestic violence to assault with a deadly weapon and reckless driving—marking a steep fall for the artist who once got the world to 'watch me whip, watch me nae nae'.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
'Whip/Nae Nae' Rapper Silento Gets 30 Years For Cousin's Murder
/ Jun 12, 2025, 12:59PM IST Silento, the rapper behind the viral hit "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)," has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for killing his cousin, Frederick Rooks III, in 2021. The 27-year-old entered a guilty plea but claimed mental illness at the time of the crime. Rooks was found shot multiple times in the early hours of January 21 in DeKalb County, Georgia. Police recovered ten shell casings at the scene, and a white BMW SUV was seen fleeing moments after. Investigators later confirmed the vehicle belonged to Silento, real name Ricky Hawk. Surveillance footage, GPS tracking, and ballistic evidence all linked him to the killing. The murder weapon was found with Hawk at the time of his arrest.
