An Atlanta rapper who gained viral fame in 2015 has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after confessing to the murder of his cousin.
Viral songs can sometimes launch successful careers, but they don’t always guarantee a bright future.
For one Atlanta artist, initial international fame quickly turned into a series of legal troubles just a few years later.
Rapper Silentó, who captured global attention at just 17 years old, had everyone dancing to his infectious hit that dominated the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks.
If you recall 2015, you likely remember his breakout track ‘Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)’.
Rather than further establishing his career in the music world, Richard Lamar Ricky Hawk, as he is legally known, faced legal challenges beginning in 2020.
On August 28 of that year, he faced charges for causing corporal injury to a spouse or cohabitant.
The following day, Hawk was involved in another incident while searching for his girlfriend, allegedly entering a stranger’s home wielding a hatchet.
Fast forward to January 21, 2021, Hawk was arrested in Illinois for murder after authorities responded to a shooting incident in the early morning hours.
By June 11, at age 27, Hawk was sentenced to 30 years for the fatal shooting of his cousin, Frederick Rooks.
He admitted guilt, citing mental illness, to charges of voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, possessing a firearm during a crime, and concealing a death.
A murder charge was dismissed as part of his plea agreement.
Police recounted responding to gunfire complaints where they found Rooks, suffering from gunshot wounds to the face and leg, on a residential street.
Regrettably, he was declared dead at the scene.
The DeKalb County Police Department announced: “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.”
Following Hawk’s arrest, his publicist noted the rapper’s struggle with mental health issues leading up to the incident, stating: “We will continue in his efforts of treatment but we ask in the meantime the public uplift him and his family in immediate prayer and positive energy.”
Authorities discovered 10 shell casings near Rooks’s body, and surveillance footage revealed a BMW SUV fleeing the scene.
A relative of Rooks informed police that Hawk had picked up Rooks in a white BMW SUV, and GPS confirmed the vehicle’s presence at the crime location during the shooting.
Hawk was taken into custody and confessed to the crime ten days after the incident.