An Atlanta rapper recognized for his song “Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)” has been charged with connection to the murder of a family member, according to police and local reports.
Silento, born Ricky Hawk, was arrested on Monday in DeKalb County, Georgia, amid an investigation into the murder of his 34-year-old cousin, police said in Twitter.
—DeKalb County Police Department (@DeKalbCountyPD) February 1, 2021
NBC News cited an incident report that said the rapper’s cousin, Frederick Rooks, was found on a street in Panthersville, Georgia, on January 21, with gunshot wounds to his face and leg.
The police obtained security images from neighbors who showed several vehicles at high speed and leaving the scene, reported the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. Authorities discovered at least eight bullet capsules near the victim’s body, according to the local news station WSB-TV.
A spokesman told the Atlanta-Journal Consitution that the 23-year-old was sent to DeKalb County prison and charged with manslaughter, prison records show. He is being held without bail, said the AJC report.
It doesn’t look like Hawk has filed an order yet.
Silento’s dance mania song, “Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)”, released in 2015, has over 1 billion views on YouTube and reached third place on the Billboard top 100 chart.