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	Pop rap
Occupations	Rapper singer songwriter
Years active	2015–2021
Labels	Capitol

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

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Richard Lamar Hawk was born on January 23, 1998, in Stone Mountain, Georgia. He grew up in Atlanta. Silentó started making music when he was in eighth grade. He first performed as part of a group. Later, he began creating his own solo music while he was in high school.

Music Career

Silentó chose his stage name because he wanted his actions to speak louder than words. He believed in "less talk and more action."

"Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)"

Silentó released his first song, "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)," in January 2015. He put it on SoundCloud by himself. The song was inspired by popular hip-hop dance moves. These included the whip, the Nae Nae, the Stanky Legg, and the Superman.

He shared the song on his Instagram and SoundCloud pages. He also performed it at local parties, school events, and roller rinks. A company called TuneCore helped promote the song. They worked with DanceOn, a dance channel on YouTube. DanceOn encouraged people to make videos dancing to the song.

Many people made their own videos on YouTube and Vine. This made the song a huge dance craze by June 2015. The song reached number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It stayed on the chart for 53 weeks. The song also became very successful, selling millions of copies. Silentó signed with Capitol Records in May 2015.

Performances and Other Songs

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 music video for the song also came out around this time. By December 2015, the video had over 500 million views. By May 2025, it had over 1.9 billion views.

Silentó also performed at the BET Awards in June 2015. He appeared with the cast of the TV show Black-ish. He performed at a Jack Ü concert in August and at the Circle City Classic in September. "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" was nominated for an award in 2015.

Silentó was featured on a remix of Dawin's song "Dessert" in October 2015. He also appeared on Sophia Grace's song "Girl in the Mirror" in June 2016. He performed "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" at the 2016 Kids' Choice Awards. He also performed it in Times Square for Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve.

Silentó worked with Korean singer Punch on a song in 2016. This song won the World Collaboration Award in January 2017. Silentó performed it at the 26th Seoul Music Awards. He was also a special guest on the "Let's Dance: The Tour" from March to May 2016.

Silentó released his first album, Fresh Outta High School, in August 2018. Its follow-up, Fresh Outta High School, Pt. 2, came out five months later.

Musical Style

Silentó said in 2015 that his music mixes rapping and singing. He also mentioned that his songs do not use bad words. He has said that some of his biggest musical inspirations include Mariah Carey, Future, Ciara, and Usher.

Discography

Silentó has released several music projects.

Mixtapes

Extended Plays

Singles

As Lead Artist

As Featured Artist

Promotional Singles

Guest Appearances

Awards and Nominations

Silentó has received awards for his music.

Images for kids

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  Silentó in 2018

See also

In Spanish: Silentó para niños