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Ricky Lamar Hawk, aka Silentó, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison. He pleaded guilty but mentally ill to killing his cousin in 2021.
Hawk was arrested in January 2021 after his cousin, Frederick Rooks, was found dead. The DeKalb County Police Department found the latter with gunshot wounds to his face and leg. The rapper confessed to the murder later and was arrested.
Rapper Silentó came into prominence in 2015 after releasing Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) as a junior in high school. The song reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned over 400 million Spotify streams at the time.
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More about Silentó's arrest after he pleaded guilty
As per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the rapper's charge was reduced from murder to voluntary manslaughter. He took a deal for this reduction as he pleaded guilty, but also mentally ill.
Silentó also pleaded guilty to three other charges - aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and concealing the death of another. Meanwhile, another charge of felony murder was dropped due to his plea agreement. The authorities also matched bullet casings to a gun that he had.
Following the sentence, Hawk's attorney, Keith Adams, said (via Billboard):
“For the first time since he’s been arrested, Ricky is in his right mind, and he’s in a place where he has a full understanding of everything that happened and what brought him here.”
“He’s been dealing with mental illness since the age of 12, and it’s unfortunate that it ended that way. We think the outcome is appropriate, and we look forward to continued improvement in his mental health.”
Soon after his arrest in 2021, the rapper's former publicist, Chanel Hudson, shared on social media:
“Over the past several years, Ricky has been suffering immensely from a series of mental illnesses. We will continue in his efforts of treatment, but we ask in the meantime the public uplift him and his family in immediate prayer & positive energy!!”
Silentó has been sentenced to 30 years in prison, which will include the time period he has spent in since 2021.
When Silentó spoke about his viral song
Hawk was an entertainer in high school and used to perform for his classmates in the cafeteria. The phrase "Watch Me" in his viral song came from there. He then eventually found the hook and recorded the song with Bolo Da Producer.
In an interview with USA Today, published on July 2, 2015, the rapper said he knew the song was going to be a hit. He said,
"I knew it was going to (take off). I already had my predictions and they were just coming true."
He also performed the song on Good Morning America and the BET Awards 2015. He said,
"It was an awesome opportunity making this song and having it where I can go back to school, and people can just be like, 'Wow, you did it.'"
Silentó released another single, No Sense, in 2020 and also featured in other collaborations.
