Whip / Nae Nae rapper Silento, 23, is charged with the murder of his 34-year-old cousin who was gunned down in Atlanta street
- Silento, whose legal name is Ricky Hawk, was arrested and charged with murder
- Police said he has been charged with murder in connection with the death of Frederick Rooks on January 21
- The Atlanta rapper known for his hit ‘Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)
Atlanta rapper Silento, whose official name is Ricky Hawk, was arrested on Monday and charged with murdering the death of his 34-year-old nephew.
Silento, the Atlanta rapper best known for his hit Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae), was arrested Monday and charged with murder in shooting his cousin.
DeKalb County police said in a statement on Twitter that the 23-year-old rapper, whose official name is Ricky Hawk, has been arrested in that Atlanta suburb.
He was placed in county jail for first degree murder in connection with the death of 34-year-old Frederick Rooks on January 21.
Hawk was held without a bond early Tuesday.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution had previously reported that police responded to a call for gunfire on Jan. 21 at approximately 3:30 a.m. in the Panthersville community in DeKalb County.
The 23-year-old rapper is best known for his 2015 hit Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)
The outlet quoted police as saying that officers found Rooks dead that night with multiple gunshot wounds, including to his face and leg. He was pronounced dead on the spot.
Hawk’s manager did not immediately respond to an email request for comment.
In October, the rapper was arrested for allegedly driving 143 mph on Interstate 85.
According to a police report from TMZ, Hawk was decelerated in his 2020 BMW X3 sports SUV, changed lanes and spun around slower vehicles.
Initially, when he was arrested, Hawk handed the officer his driver’s license, stating, “We’re not doing anything wrong.”
When asked why he was speeding, the rapper reportedly said he had just left a club after promoting a new song and being followed.
The Georgia resident then stated that he had the right to drive at high speed.
“If ten cars are chasing me, I can do 143 because I’m not an ordinary person and you could go and check your computer and it would tell you,” the officer quoted Hawk.
He was charged with reckless driving, speeding, not keeping his lane and improperly stopping, news outlets reported.
A month earlier, Hawk was charged with assault with a deadly weapon. The rapper was accused of walking into the home of an unsealed stranger in the Valley Village area of Los Angeles and swinging an ax at the two people before one of them disarmed him.
TMZ reported that the rapper was looking for his girlfriend, but later found out that he had entered the wrong house.
Prior to that arrest, he was charged with imposing corporal punishment on a spouse or cohabitant at a house in Santa Ana on August 28.