Rapper Silento, real name Ricky Hawk, was sentenced to 30 years in prison after he admitted to fatally shooting his cousin in 2021.
The Atlanta rapper, best known for his 2015 single Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae), pleaded guilty but mentally ill to voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and concealing the death of another.
The DeKalb district attorney said Hawk, 27, admitted to shooting 34-year-old Frederick Rooks III to death early on January 21, 2021.
The victim died of multiple gunshot wounds to his face and leg. What led up to the shooting remains unknown.
During Silento’s sentencing hearing on Wednesday, Rooks’ siblings said the punishment was not enough for Hawk to realize the gravity of his wrongdoing.
“We just want justice,” Rooks’ brother said.
Silento was a high school junior when he released “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)”.
His song charted No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was viewed more than 1.9 billion times on YouTube.
