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Rapper Silento Indicted For The Murder Of His Cousin

By Michael Bamidele

17 August 2021   |   9:19 am

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US rapper Silento, who is best known for the 2015 viral hit “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)”, has been indicted indicted in connection with the murder of his cousin. According to legal documents obtained by TMZ, Silento, real name Ricky Hawk, 23, was indicted by a Georgia grand jury on four felonies, including one count of…

Silento | Image: Paras Griffin/Getty Images

US rapper Silento, who is best known for the 2015 viral hit “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)”, has been indicted indicted in connection with the murder of his cousin.

According to legal documents obtained by TMZ, Silento, real name Ricky Hawk, 23, was indicted by a Georgia grand jury on four felonies, including one count of malice murder, one count of felony murder, aggravated assault, and gun possession during the commission of a felony.

Silento was arrested in February for the murder of his 34-year-old cousin, Frederick Rooks. On Jan. 21, police responded to a 3:30 a.m. call regarding shots fired, and found Rooks dead at the scene with multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The DeKalb County Police Department announced the rapper’s arrest at that time in a tweet: “Today, Ricky Hawk, 23, was arrested for the murder of his cousin Frederick Rooks, 34. On January 21, the DeKalb County Police Department investigated Rooks’ death after he was found shot on Deep Shoals Circle. Hawk is in the DeKalb County Jail charged with Murder. #WeAreDKPD,” they said.

Silento’s PR manager Chanel Hudson took to Instagram to ask for prayers for the rapper, who is currently being held without bail until his court date. She also claims that his mental health has been suffering while in prison.

“Please send my client Silento some positive vibrations,” she wrote in the caption. “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!! Ricky is a beautiful soul, and we hope that the same people who came up whippin’ and nay naying with him, continue to support him and lifted in prayer. God bless.”

Silento has had a history of legal trouble. He was arrested in August 2020 for assault with a deadly weapon after being accused of walking into an unlocked stranger’s home in the Valley Village area of Los Angeles and swinging a hatchet at the two people inside before one of them disarmed him. A day prior to that arrest, he was held on domestic violence charges at a Santa Ana, Calif., home. In October, he was arrested for allegedly driving 143 mph in DeKalb County.

Silento rose to fame as a teenage rap sensation in 2015 “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” rose to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. His most recent release was the single “Swish” on Jan. 28. He also released an album, “Skyrolyrics,” in October 2020.