From teenage rap sensation to a DeKalb County jail cell, the rapper Silento’s story follows a familiar arc.
In past interviews and through his publicist, the 23-year-old artist, whose real name is Ricky Lamar Hawk, has detailed a troubled childhood before finding stability as a high schooler. After his song “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” catapulted him to global fame overnight in 2017, he said the pressure and judgment that came along with the spotlight took a toll on his mental health.
That’s the sympathetic tale woven by Hawk’s publicist, Chanel Hudson.
“I have a very close relationship with Ricky,” Hudson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday afternoon, three days after he was arrested and charged with murder. “Silento is the artist.”
Credit: DeKalb County Sheriff's Office
Credit: DeKalb County Sheriff's Office
While she acknowledged his struggles with depression and anxiety, Hudson revealed Hawk has not consistently sought treatment for his mental health.
Hudson has stuck beside her client despite his erratic behavior and legal troubles of the past year, all of which culminated in Hawk’s arrest Monday. He is accused of fatally shooting his cousin, Frederick Rooks, on Jan. 21 at a Panthersville area home.
Hawk was booked into the DeKalb County Jail, where he remains after his bond was denied in his first court appearance Tuesday, according to Hudson.
Though she believes the case against Hawk is based on “shaky evidence,” Hudson said the justice system will ultimately decide the young rapper’s fate.
“No matter what his charges are, he’s a human being and it doesn’t cost anything to pray for him and his family or send him positive vibrations,” Hudson said. “I hope people continue to have a little empathy.”
According to the initial investigation, Rooks was found lying in the street with several gunshot wounds when DeKalb police responded to a person shot call. Emergency services pronounced him dead at the scene.
Hudson said that Hawk’s attorney and former legal guardians are in the process of assembling his criminal defense team. His lawyer has been in touch with him in jail, Hudson said, adding, “He’s in good spirits.”
Hudson said that much of her work over the past several years has been centered on humanizing Hawk. She booked him on a revealing segment on the daytime talk show “The Doctors” in May 2019, in which he shared his mental health struggles in detail.
“That wasn’t a situation where he just showed up and sat down for 30 minutes,” Hudson said. “He did a psychological evaluation ahead of time. It was a four- or five-day process.”
In his discussion on the show, Hawk detailed his rough early childhood, including the fact he was born with marijuana, cocaine and heroin in his system. He said he struggled with depression and anxiety, and that he may have been inappropriately prescribed ADHD medication.
“I don’t know if these demons will ever go away,” Hawk said.
After the show, though, Hawk failed to put in the work that was supposed to follow his on-air session. “He never did any of the follow-up sessions,” Hudson said.
That lack of follow-up was a warning sign that Hawk’s mental health was suffering, Hudson said. “I really saw a decline when he started missing major TV appearances,” she said.
Hudson also stressed that Hawk’s struggle with depression was not due to a lack of success. While she was booking him for media appearances, he was traveling around the world and performing at frequent, high-paying appearances.
“Before the pandemic, he was in Cambodia, he went to Singapore,” Hudson said. “He was making good money.”
But when the pandemic arrived, Hawk hit a breaking point, according to Hudson. Early in 2020, he attempted suicide, she said.
“Nobody really cared about that story then,” she said.
After the suicide attempt, Hawk was arrested multiple times for incidents that did receive plenty of attention. In a single week in August, he was jailed twice in California on domestic violence and gun charges. In October, he was arrested in DeKalb and charged with speeding at more than 140 mph on I-85.
Since his bond was denied, Hawk will remain in the DeKalb jail for the foreseeable future. Hudson said she will continue to support him because he has supported her throughout their working relationship, despite disagreements and fractured relationships with other members of his team.óó
“I will not turn my back on him,” Hudson said. “I bet in some way, shape or form, he’s writing about his experience.”
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