Serena Williams Joins Kendrick Lamar for Iconic Crip Walk at Super Bowl Halftime Show

2025-03-01

Tennis legend Serena Williams made a surprise appearance during Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX halftime show on 9 February 2025, performing the iconic “Crip Walk” dance move. The 43-year-old athlete joined Lamar on stage at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans as he performed his Drake diss track, “Not Like Us.” Williams’ brief but impactful cameo quickly became a talking point, with fans and critics alike weighing in on the significance of her performance.

The Crip Walk, or C-Walk, originated in the 1970s within the Los Angeles Crips gang culture. It involves intricate footwork and is often used to spell out letters or patterns. Williams, who grew up in Compton, California, has a personal connection to the dance, having faced criticism in 2012 for performing a similar move after winning an Olympic gold medal at Wimbledon. At the time, commentators labelled her celebration as “crass” and “inappropriate,” but Williams defended it as “just a dance.”

During the Super Bowl halftime show, Williams’ performance was seen as a nod to her roots and a subtle clapback at past criticism. On social media, she joked, “Man, I did not crip walk like that at Wimbledon. Ooh, I would’ve been fined.” Her appearance also carried deeper cultural significance, as it coincided with Lamar’s critique of Drake, with whom Williams has a complicated history. Lamar’s lyrics in “Not Like Us” even reference Williams, warning Drake not to “speak on Serena.”

The moment sparked widespread reactions online, with fans praising Williams for reclaiming the dance and Lamar for including her in the performance. One user noted, “Her coming back to do a dance that references a culture she’s actually a part of, during a live performance criticizing someone for being a culture vulture, is chef’s kiss.” Others highlighted the personal sting for Drake, with one commenter quipping, “If my ex-girlfriend was on the TV crip walking to a song calling me a pedophile at the Super Bowl, my feelings would be hurt.”

Williams’ Super Bowl cameo not only showcased her enduring influence but also underscored the cultural resonance of the Crip Walk, a dance that has transcended its origins to become a symbol of identity and celebration in music and sports.

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