Rapper Silentó, best known for his trend-setting song “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae),” has recently returned to the spotlight, but not for another chart-topping single. Instead, it is because Silentó, whose real name is Richard Lamar Hawk, has been involved with the 2021 murder of his cousin Fredrick Rooks. After a self-described lifelong struggle with depression, Hawk claims that Rook’s murder was due to a period of intense personal struggle.
Silentó’s Beginning
The former rapper’s beginnings offer a fascinating insight into and potential causal factors behind Hawk’s rapid fall from fame. Born in Stone Mountain, Georgia, in 1998, Richard was off to a bad start from the beginning. Unfortunately, during his childhood, Hawk would be exposed to domestic violence and rampant mental illness from those who were supposed to be the people he looked up to. As with many similar cases, early childhood traumas have been shown to impact those affected for the rest of their lives deeply, and Silentó is no exception.
In light of his struggles, Richard was interested in music and dancing from an early age. Fame arose when the young man released “Watch Me” in 2015 at the young age of 17. Almost overnight, his song went viral all over social media, with people replicating the easy-to-follow dance moves and posting them online. This would earn Hawk a record deal with Capitol Records and enable the rapper to perform his song at various schools and venues. Although things appeared to be going exceptionally well for Hawk, he would continue to fight a silent battle that would begin to poke holes in the tapestry of his success.
His Demons Begin to Win
The first instance that Silentó opened up about his struggles with depression was in a 2019 interview on The Doctors, an American TV program about medical advice. “I don’t know if I can truly be happy… I don’t know if these demons will ever go away,” the rapper heartbreakingly spoke. Less than a year after this candid discussion, Richard would attempt to take his own life. Around this time, he also began to have legal troubles similar in nature to those he witnessed growing up, as well as reckless endangerment via speeding. Only four months later would Hawk decide to end his cousin’s life.
The Georgia-born rapper has not explicitly stated the reason for killing his cousin besides severe mental health issues. However, while incarcerated, he has been diagnosed with an extreme form of bipolar disorder, which may have been one supporting factor in this situation. Especially because the way the crime was committed does not negate a premeditated attack due to lack of planning, skill, and overall tidiness of said crime.
Despite admitting to the murder of Fredrick Rooks, Silentó only received a 30-year sentence, with four years of pre-trial incarceration being credited towards that. He was able to achieve this by taking a plea deal that dropped murder charges but left voluntary manslaughter, concealing the death of Rooks, possessing a firearm during a felony, and aggravated assault. Thankfully, the court has assured Richard and the public that he will be receiving psychiatric treatment during his sentence in hopes that a situation like this will never happen again.
Final Thoughts
Although mental health is not an excuse to commit heinous crimes, it does provide some insight into how a situation like Silentó’s can occur. The former rapper proves that no matter how someone appears on the outside, you can never know what kind of internal battles they might be struggling with. If you or anyone you know is struggling with mental health issues, please reach out for help before letting it get to this point. Simply dial ‘988’ for problems with substance abuse, suicidal thoughts/ideations, and/or declining mental health, and someone should be ready to help ASAP.
