Rapper Silento to serve 30 years in prison for killing his cousin

Silento, the rapper who's best known for the hit Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae), has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for murdering his cousin.

According to a report by PEOPLE Magazine, DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston said the Atlanta-based star (real name: Ricky Lamar Hawk) pleaded guilty but mentally ill to voluntary manslaughter as well as aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and concealing the death of another in connection with the killing of his cousin identified as Frederick Rooks III in 2021.

Their relative said the two were last seen together when Silento picked up his cousin from a friend's house in a white vehicle. The same car was seen speeding up in their neighborhood after a gunfire was heard by residents.

Authorities got to the scene early in the morning of Jan. 21, 2021 and discovered Rooks with several gunshot wounds. He was declared dead moments later.

The following month, Silento admitted to killing his cousin and was arrested.

His PR manager Chanel Hudson, in a statement, revealed afterward that her client "has been suffering immensely from a series of mental health illnesses."

In 2019, the musician opened up about his mental health struggles and said he's "been fighting demons my whole life."  He added, "I don’t know if I can truly be happy, I don’t know if these demons will ever go away."