The Rise And Fall Of Silento: Inside The Rappers Recent Arrests

Five years ago, Silento was riding a wave far ahead of its time. “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” was one of the biggest songs of 2015, reaching the top three position on the Billboard charts and staying there for six non-consecutive weeks. The song is certified six-times platinum in the United States. The song’s success landed Silento a record deal with Capitol Records.

Fast forward five years later and there is an entire app dedicated to viral dances, producing young superstars overnight (Tik Tok). It is safe to say that Silento was one of the precursors to Tik Tok, which has now become one of the biggest commercial tools in the world.

Sadly, like all viral trends, the “Nae Nae” would fizzle out. Unlike Soulja Boy who’s “Crank That” also became a massive hit off the strength of social media, Silento was not able to follow up from his viral hit or show any range as an artist. As a result, he would fall out of the limelight as quickly as he came. Silento was everywhere you could imagine during the buzz of his hit song. Appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and the BET Awards are a thing of the past. He has not been able to keep himself out of trouble these days, with a string of violent arrests to his name.

Fox News that the rapper was arrested Friday and accused of driving 143 mph on Interstate 85 in Georgia. When explaining to law enforcement why he was speeding, Silento claimed he is often followed when leaving events because of his fame. Silento was apparently at a club appearance prior to the arrest, and reportedly told officers he could go 143 mph because he is not “a regular person.”

Just a month ago, Fox reported Silento being arrested and charged for assault with a deadly weapon. He invaded someone’s home in Valley Village Los Angeles and swung a hatchet at two people in the home.

That was not his first run in with the law. In August, he was charged with inflicting corporal punishment on his girlfriend in a Los Angeles home.

Although his mainstream success was short lived, Silento does remain an interesting part in music and pop culture history. The major commercial success of

“Watch Me” undoubtedly laid the groundwork for what Tik Tok would become. Sure, Vine was the vehicle that helped propel the song at the time - but Vine was not turning out as many superstars and hits as Tik Tok is. Record labels are embracing Tik Tok in a way that they did not embrace Vine. Today, most of the number one songs on Billboard gain traction on Tik Tok. Essentially, there are much bigger opportunities available for Tik Tok stars as opposed to what was available to Silento with Vine at the time. Maybe Capitol Records would have had more faith in him today, than they did back then.