Rapper behind Watch Me Whip, Silento, sentenced to 30 years in prison for murder; here's what happened
ByAadrika Sominder
Jun 13, 2025 12:23 AM IST
Silento, best known for the viral dance track Watch Me Whip has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to killing his cousin in 2021
Silento, the rapper who made the world dance with Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae), has now been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the fatal shooting of his cousin. The artist, born Ricky Lamar Hawk, pleaded guilty but mentally ill to charges including voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, firearm possession during a felony, and concealing a death.
Ricky Lamar Hawk aka Silento
Ricky Lamar Hawk aka Silento
What happened?
The 27-year-old was arrested in connection with the January 2021 killing of his cousin, Frederick Rooks III, 34, in Decatur, Georgia — a suburb just northeast of Atlanta. Police responding to reports of gunfire found Rooks bleeding from multiple bullet wounds in the middle of a residential neighborhood. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Security footage captured a white BMW SUV fleeing the area minutes after the gunfire. A relative told authorities that Rooks had last been seen with Hawk, who had picked him up in a car matching that description. On February 1, after being taken into custody, Hawk admitted to shooting his cousin, according to the district attorney’s office.
While the rapper was initially charged with murder, that charge was dropped in exchange for his plea deal this week.
Past legal troubles and mental health
This isn’t Silento’s first brush with the law. In 2020, while in Southern California, he was accused of threatening two strangers with a hatchet after allegedly walking into their unlocked home. One of the residents managed to disarm him, and he was subsequently arrested.
At the time of his cousin’s death, Silento’s publicist released a statement noting that the rapper had been battling severe mental health issues for years.
Under Georgia law, his plea of guilty but mentally ill means the Department of Corrections will be responsible for evaluating and treating Hawk’s mental health during his incarceration.
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News / HTCity / Rapper behind Watch Me Whip, Silento, sentenced to 30 years in prison for murder; here's what happened
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