Silentó facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Silentó
Silentó in 2018
Background information
Birth name	Richard Lamar Hawk
Also known as	Ricky Hawk
Born	(1998-01-23) January 23, 1998 (age 27) Stone Mountain, Georgia, U.S.
Origin	Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop pop rap pop dance-pop snap
Occupations	Rapper singer songwriter
Years active	2015–2021

Richard Lamar "Ricky" Hawk (born January 23, 1998), known as Silentó, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. Silentó became famous in 2015 for his first song, "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)". This song reached number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart when he was 17 years old.

Life and Music Career

Early Life and Rise to Fame

Richard Lamar "Ricky" Hawk was born on January 23, 1998, in Stone Mountain, Georgia. He started making music in middle school as part of a group. Later, in high school, he began making solo music. He chose the name Silentó because he wanted his actions to speak louder than words.

After losing a high school talent show, Silentó released his first song, "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)". He put it on SoundCloud in January 2015. The song was inspired by popular hip hop dance moves like the whip, the Nae Nae, and the Stanky Legg. He promoted his song on Instagram and SoundCloud. He also performed it at local parties and school events.

"Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" Success

A company called TuneCore helped promote "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)". They worked with DanceOn, a dance channel on YouTube. DanceOn encouraged people to make videos dancing to the song using the hashtag #WatchMeDanceOn. Soon, many videos made by fans on YouTube and Vine helped the song become a huge dance craze. By June 2015, it was a viral hit.

The song reached number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It stayed on the chart for 53 weeks. The song was also certified 6 times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). This means it sold over 6 million copies. Silentó signed with Capitol Records in May 2015 because of the song's success.

In June 2015, Silentó performed "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" on the TV show Good Morning America. He said this was a big moment for him. The song's music video had over 500 million views by December 2015. By 2020, it had 1.7 billion views, making it one of the most-watched hip hop music videos on YouTube.

Silentó also performed at the BET Awards and the 2016 Kids' Choice Awards. He was featured on a remix of Dawin's song "Dessert" and on Sophia Grace's song "Girl in the Mirror".

Later Music and Albums

In 2016, Silentó worked with Korean singer Punch on a song. This song won the World Collaboration Award at the 26th Seoul Music Awards in January 2017. Silentó also went on a national tour called Let's Dance: The Tour.

Silentó released his first studio album, Fresh Outta High School, in August 2018. He released a second album, Fresh Outta High School, Pt. 2, five months later.

Musical Style

Silentó has said that his music mixes rapping and singing. He also noted that his songs do not use profanity. He has been influenced by artists like Mariah Carey, Future, Ciara, and Usher.

Discography

Mixtapes

Extended Plays

Singles

As Lead Artist

As Featured Artist

Promotional Singles

Guest Appearances

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Silentó para niños