Who is Silentó? Rapper's history explored as he gets sentenced to 30 years in prison

Richard Lamar 'Ricky' Hawk, popularly known as the rapper Silentó, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Silentó is a former rapper, singer, and songwriter who came into the spotlight in 2015. Hawk released his hit debut single, Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae), which reached number three on the US Billboard Hot 100. Silentó was only 17 and a junior in high school at the time of the song's release.

Fast forward to 2025, Richard Hawk is 27 years old and has been sentenced to prison for fatally shooting his cousin five years ago. The rapper pleaded guilty but mentally ill to the charges of shooting Frederick Rooks in January 2021. The final sentence was given by the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office.

This was not Richard Hawk's first run-in with the law. He has had a history of arrests and charges even before the shooting incident that landed him 30 years in jail. Keep reading to learn more details about Hawk's deadly crime and his history.

More details about Silentó's fatal shooting case and past legal troubles

According to reports from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Silentó pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter after first being charged with murder. At the same time, he also pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and concealing the death of another. However, no motive for the crime has been released till now regarding Hawk shooting his 34-year-old cousin.

According to TVH11 News, Frederick Rooks was picked up by the rapper at around 2:45 a.m. from a friend's place. A white BMW SUV was seen on the CCTV cameras. The officers reached the crime scene, which was located at an intersection in Panthersville, at around 3:30 a.m.

They found Rooks with 10 gunshot wounds in his body, and he was bleeding in large amounts before passing away. What tied Silentó to the crime was the bullet casings they found on his cousin's body. They matched the gun that Hawk had with him when he was arrested.

As mentioned, this is not the rapper's first run-in with the law. Back in 2020, he was arrested by the Santa Ana Police Department for inflicting injury on a cohabitant and was released on the same day.

The following day, he went in search of his girlfriend in a random house, while carrying a hatchet, and even swung at two people. He was later stopped by his friend, who told him he was at the wrong house. This time, he was charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon.

He was also arrested on different charges, which included speeding, reckless driving, parking in a prohibited space, and driving on roadways laned for traffic, in the same year.

Silentó's fame during his teenage years was quickly tarnished after his fatal crime in 2021, for which he was sentenced to 30 years in prison. His past run-ins with the law just added more black marks to the rapper's name. However, Hawk pleaded guilty but mentally ill for his most recent crime.

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