Rapper Silento was charged on Thursday for attempting to attack two strangers with a small axe while out on bail for another arrest. The "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" hitmaker, whose real name is Richard Lamar Hawk, entered a stranger's house in Valley Village, near Los Angeles, on Aug. 29, claiming he was looking for his girlfriend, according to KABC.
He then reportedly swung his hatchet at two occupants. One was able to disarm him before anyone was harmed, USA Today reported.
Silento was arrested a block away and charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon.
The previous day the 22-year-old was apprehended after a domestic disturbance in Orange County was reported to police. He was booked and charged with inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant but later released.
Silento was 16-years-old when he shot to fame in 2015 following the release of his hit single "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)." His music video racked up millions of views on YouTube and paved the way for his success. In 2018, he released his debut album "Fresh Outta High School."
Commenting on the song's success, Silento said he recorded his hit single after school one day.
"I had been asking Bolo to produce the song for me for about three months, and he didn't think it was going to be anything, but when we did the song and dropped it on SoundCloud, it took off," he said, per entertainment website AcesShowbiz.
"I'm still the same - I'm still me, you know? I guess now some people, they look at me like, 'You're famous.' But you know, it hasn't really changed me at all."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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