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Ricky Hawk, better known as Silento, the hitmaker behind the viral Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) song was recently convicted of killing his cousin.
Hawk elected not to take the case to trial. Rather, he pleaded guilty to the shooting under the guise of being mentally ill. With the charges being voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, and a slew of others. Which were in connection with the fatal 2021 incident.
Silento’s Mugshot Revealed as He Begins Sentence
Despite entering a mentally ill plea, the rapper was sentenced to 30 years in prison. As he begins his sentence a recent mugshot of the hitmaker was released.
Silentó’s mugshot has been released. pic.twitter.com/hgehRSPEVb
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) June 25, 2025
With him having a noticeably different appearance since he was last spotted, fans sounded off on social media.
“Whappened? this n***a looking like the last egg in the carton tf,” one person said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“He looks like Nicki Minaj and Kenneth Petty at the same time,” another person added.
“oh they whipp-whipped & nae-naed his ass for good,” another user said.
Silento’s cousin Frederick Rooks III was found dead in a Metro Atlanta home in 2021. Weeks later, the hit maker was arrested and charged with his death. During the time of his arrest, Silento was carrying a firearm which prosecutors matched to the bullets found at the murder scene.
Following his arrest, Chanel Hudson, Silento’s PR manager, revealed that he had been “suffering immensely” due to “a series of mental health issues.”
“Please send my client Silentó some positive vibrations. Over the past several years, Ricky has been suffering immensely from a series of mental health illnesses. We will continue in his efforts of treatment, but we ask in the meantime the public to uplift him and his family in immediate prayer and positive energy!!” she said in a statement in 2021.
“Ricky is a beautiful soul, and we hope that the same people who came up whipping’ & nay nay-in with him, continue to support him and lift in prayer!! God bless”
