'Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)' rapper Silentó gets 30 years for manslaughter of cousin

Silentó, the Atlanta rapper champion known for the viral 2015 deed “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae),” was sentenced to 30 years successful situation Wednesday aft pleading blameworthy but mentally sick successful the 2021 shooting decease of his relative successful Georgia.

The rapper, existent sanction Ricky Lamar Hawk, pleaded blameworthy to voluntary manslaughter of his cousin, Frederick Rooks III, successful summation to aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during committee of a transgression and concealing a death, DeKalb County Dist. Atty. Sherry Boston said successful a statement.

Hawk, 27, confessed to the sidesplitting erstwhile constabulary took him into custody astir 10 days aft Rooks, 34, was recovered successful the wee hours connected Jan. 21, 2021, suffering from aggregate gunshot wounds, Boston said. Emergency aesculapian workers pronounced him dormant astatine the scene, the connection said.

Video and GPS grounds tied Hawk to the crime, Boston said. A comparative of Rooks told authorities that the unfortunate had past been seen with Hawk.

The time Hawk was arrested, his then-publicist Chanel Hudson posted a enactment asking for prayers for her lawsuit and explaining that successful caller years helium had “been suffering immensely from a bid of intelligence wellness illnesses” and would proceed his “efforts of treatment.”

In 2016, Hawk was nominated nether his signifier sanction for the BET Awards’ YoungStars Award on with Amandla Stenberg, Quvenzhané Wallis, Willow Smith and Yara Shahidi. The grant went to Stenberg, the histrion celebrated for playing Rue successful the movie “The Hunger Games.”

Hawk went connected the syndicated amusement “The Doctors” successful 2019 wearing a sparkling, Michael Jackson-style overgarment and talked astir however helium was calved with “all benignant of drugs” successful his strategy and had felt depressed his full life. He moved successful with a large aunt successful 2014, helium said, and was prescribed ADHD medicine without an ADHD diagnosis. Viral fame came a fewer years later.

“Depression doesn’t permission you erstwhile you go famous,” Hawk said connected the show, which positioned him arsenic a brave inspiration to his peers with intelligence illness. “It conscionable adds much pressure. And portion everybody’s looking astatine you, they’re besides judging you.”

Things took a acheronian crook next, however, with Hawk getting arrested successful Southern California successful precocious summertime 2020 connected home unit allegations of inflicting corporal punishment connected a spouse oregon cohabitant successful Santa Ana.

Then, portion retired connected bail for that incidental the archetypal week of September 2020, helium was arrested again successful Los Angeles and charged with 2 felony counts of battle with a deadly limb (not a firearm) aft helium allegedly entered the Valley Village location of 2 strangers and threatened them with a hatchet.

As of Thursday that lawsuit was inactive ongoing successful Los Angeles County Superior Court with the adjacent proceeding scheduled for September. The adjunct territory lawyer handling that lawsuit did not reply instantly to The Times’ petition for an update.

Also Thursday, 9 years aft it dropped, Silentó’s euphony video for “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” was successful the vicinity of 2 cardinal views connected YouTube.

“Remember erstwhile astatine 1 constituent this was playing successful each azygous car astir the world,” 1 commenter said 4 years ago. It was unclear whether that was posted earlier oregon aft Rooks was killed.