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Atlanta rapper known for 'Watch Me Whip' song arrested for driving 143 mph on I-85, police say

Silento, whose legal name is Richard Lamar Hawk, told police he had to drive that fast because he was being followed by 10 cars leaving a club in Gwinnett County.

ATLANTA — An Atlanta-based rapper know for his hit single “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" was arrested after being pulled over for allegedly going 143 mph Friday along Interstate 85 south just before Clairmont Road, according to a police report. 

Silento, whose legal name is Richard Lamar Hawk, told police he had to drive that fast because he was being followed by 10 cars leaving a club in Gwinnett County. The speed limit was 65 mph. 

"People be following me everywhere I go," the 22-year-old told the DeKalb County police officer, according to the report. "Go to your parked car and read my ID." 

He said that he has "been through this before."

The officer said Silento was driving his white 2020 BMW X3 at a high rate of speed, swerving in and out of traffic and failing to maintain a lane.

Credit: DeKalb County Sheriff's Office
Ricky Lamar Hawk, aka Silento

RELATED: Rapper Silento arrested for alleged assaults in California

Last month, Silento was arrested after trying to hit two people with a hatchet in their home. He was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and was being held in jail on $105,000 jail, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office said at the time.

Credit: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Silento arrives at the BET Awards on June 26, 2016, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

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