Silentó Net Worth

What is Silentó's net worth?

Silentó is an American rapper who has a net worth of $500 thousand. Silentó became a global sensation in 2015 as a teenager with his breakout hit "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)," a viral dance track that dominated social media, radio, and pop culture. At just 17 years old, the Georgia high school student watched his homemade song explode across platforms like Vine and YouTube, amassing hundreds of millions of views and turning him into an overnight celebrity. The single reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned him a record deal with Capitol Records. Silentó quickly became a go-to performer for youth-focused events, national TV shows, and school assemblies, embodying the promise of the social media era's power to elevate unknown talent.

But behind the cheerful hooks and signature dance moves was a young man battling internal struggles. Silentó later revealed he had been dealing with depression, suicidal ideation, and the trauma of growing up around mental illness and violence. Over the next several years, his fame faded while personal instability escalated, culminating in multiple arrests and a tragic act of violence in 2021. In 2025, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to the shooting death of his cousin, marking a grim turn in a once-hopeful story.

Early Life and Viral Fame

Silentó was born Ricky Lamar Hawk on January 22, 1998, in Stone Mountain, Georgia. He was raised primarily by his mother and grandmother in a household where, by his own account, he witnessed both mental illness and domestic violence. As a junior in high school, Hawk uploaded "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" to YouTube in early 2015. The catchy track paired with an easy-to-learn dance exploded in popularity, eventually earning over a billion views and inspiring millions of imitations on social media platforms like Vine and Instagram.

The song peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and led to a record deal with Capitol Records. Silentó performed on national television and at award shows, became a fixture at school assemblies and dance events, and appeared in commercials and kids' programming. He released his debut EP, "Fresh Outta High School," in 2018, followed by a sequel in 2019. But none of his subsequent music reached the same commercial heights.

(Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images)

Mental Health and Personal Struggles

Despite his upbeat image, Silentó was privately battling depression and emotional instability. In a 2019 interview on the medical talk show "The Doctors," he revealed that fame had only intensified his mental health struggles. "I've been fighting demons my whole life," he said. "Depression doesn't leave you when you become famous—it just adds more pressure." He urged viewers to seek help, emphasizing that the spotlight often masked deep pain.

According to his publicist, Silentó attempted suicide in 2020. His behavior in the months leading up to his cousin's death became increasingly erratic, marked by several high-profile arrests and disturbing incidents.

Legal Troubles

Silentó's legal problems began to mount in 2020. In August, he was arrested twice in one week in California—first in Santa Ana on a domestic violence charge, and again the next day in Los Angeles after reportedly entering a home with a hatchet, looking for his girlfriend, and swinging the weapon at two people before being disarmed.

In October 2020, he was arrested in Atlanta for driving 143 miles per hour on Interstate 85. When stopped, he reportedly told police, "If there is like 10 cars following me, I can do 143 because I am not a regular person and you could go look on your computer and it would tell you that."

In February 2021, Silentó was arrested and charged with the murder of his cousin, 34-year-old Frederick Rooks. Police determined that Silentó had picked Rooks up in a white BMW SUV and drove him to a suburban neighborhood near Decatur, Georgia, where Rooks was shot multiple times. Investigators found 10 bullet casings at the scene. Surveillance footage, GPS data, and ballistics evidence tied the crime to Silentó, who later confessed.

Conviction and Sentencing

In June 2025, Silentó pleaded guilty but mentally ill to voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, gun possession during the commission of a crime, and concealing the death of another. A murder charge was dropped as part of the plea agreement. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

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