From Viral Fame to Prison Time: Silentó Sentenced in Cousin’s Death Amid Years-Long Mental Health Struggle

The name Silentó once had the whole internet doing the Whip and Nae Nae. But nearly a decade after the viral wave that made him famous, the 27-year-old rapper — born Ricky Hawk — is now facing a very different kind of spotlight.

This week, Silentó was sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty in the 2021 shooting death of his cousin, Frederick Rooks III. But behind the headlines and courtroom soundbites is a much more complicated, heartbreaking story — one shaped by mental illness, fame at a young age, and a system that too often fails Black men until it’s far too late.

---

The Crime — and the Context

Back in January 2021, police in DeKalb County, Georgia responded to reports of gunshots. When they arrived, they found 34-year-old Rooks dead at the scene — multiple gunshot wounds, no witnesses in sight, but security footage showing a white BMW speeding away.

That car? Linked back to Silentó. According to investigators, he had picked Rooks up earlier that day. Ballistics matched shell casings found at the scene to a gun in Hawk’s possession. GPS placed his vehicle right there.

By Wednesday, Silentó accepted a plea deal — voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, weapons possession, and concealing a death. He’ll serve 30 years, but he could be eligible for parole in about 10.

---

A Life in Crisis, Not Just Crime

What makes this case more than just another celebrity mugshot moment is the history behind it. Silentó’s attorney, Keith Adams, says his client has lived with severe mental illness since the age of 12 — long before the viral success of “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” turned him into a household name in 2015.

“This was not a crime of passion or depravity. He was mentally ill,” Adams told ABC News.

The plea wasn’t just an admission of guilt — it was also a plea of guilty but mentally ill, which legally requires the state to place him in a facility that can address his psychiatric needs. That means instead of going straight to a general population prison, he’ll be processed at Georgia’s Diagnostic Center in Jackson, and then transferred to a specialized mental health unit.

---

The Weight of Fame, The Failure of Systems

For anyone paying attention, Silentó’s story is familiar — painfully so. A young Black artist skyrockets to fame off one hit song, and suddenly they’re thrust into the spotlight with no real support system, no mental health infrastructure, and all eyes watching their every misstep.

Silentó’s erratic behavior made headlines even before the shooting. There were arrests, outbursts, and public concern. But the industry — and to be honest, much of the audience — did what it often does: laughed, ignored, or shrugged it off.

Now we’re here. A life lost. Another life derailed. And a reminder that mental illness doesn’t discriminate, but the response to it often does.

---

What’s Next?

According to his lawyer, Silentó could be relocated to a proper facility within the next two months. And despite everything, Adams says he still believes in his client’s future:

“No one is beyond redemption… I think he has an opportunity to come out and resume his position as a productive member of society, while properly being treated for his mental health.”

It’s a complicated hope — but not an impossible one.

Because at the end of the day, Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) wasn’t just a meme or a dance — it was a moment. And the young man behind it deserved care, not just clicks.

We can’t undo what’s been done. But maybe, just maybe, we can start doing better by the next one.