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Rapper Silentó Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Cousin’s Shooting Death

Atlanta rapper Silentó has been sentenced to 30 years in prison in the shooting death of his cousin.

The rapper Silentó, who scored a major hit with his 2015 single “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” — and the two dance crazes it combined — has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for charges related to the shooting death of his cousin, Frederick Rooks. Per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, on Wednesday, June 11, Silentó, born Ricky Lamar Hawk, pleaded guilty but mentally ill to voluntary manslaughter stemming from the January 2021 killing. However, over the years, Hawk and a representative have attested to the rapper’s mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, and childhood trauma.

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