Serena Williams’ Super Bowl Crip Walk and Drake feud explained
Tennis great Serena Williams returned to the spotlight with a bang as she made a surprise appearance during the Super Bowl LIX half-time show for the clash between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans.
Unlike in previous years when she only starred in commercials, this time she was at the front, middle and centre on the big stage as she was one of rapper Kendrick Lamar’s backup dancers.
She did the Crib Walk – a move created in the 1970s in Compton, the California area where Williams’ father and former coach Richard hails from – while Lamar, who is also from Compton, performed his hit song Not Like Us.
Williams – who retired from tennis in 2022 – was given quite a bit of screen time while she performed the same dance moves that she previously showed off at Wimbledon in 2012 after she won gold in the singles at the London Games.
Not Like US, of course, is also a diss track (as the youngsters would call it) as Lamar takes aim at Grammy award-winning Drake with his lyrics following their 2024 feud.
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But if you thought 24-time Grand Slam winner Williams’ cameo during the Super Bowl show was just a case of a famous celebrity being asked to perform at one of the biggest sporting events in the world, then you are wrong as there is much more to it.
Williams and Drake were rumoured to be dating more than a decade ago and the latter often tweeted about the tennis great and at one point he wrote: “@SerenaWilliams I cannot wait to put it on you and make you sweat……. during our match this weekend.”
The rapper was also seen at some of her matches as he was at Wimbledon in 2015 when she won the title, but their romance eventually stopped and things turned sour.
Williams went on to date and marry Alexis Ohanian and they have two daughters Alexis Olympia and Adira River.
Drake was clearly not happy with the way things ended with Williams and referenced the tennis player and husband in his Middle Of The Ocean track with the lyrics: “Sidebar, Serena, your husband a groupie / He claim we don’t got a problem but / No boo, it is like you coming for sushi.”
Back in 2022 Ohanian responded by writing on Twitter (now X): “The reason I stay winning is because I’m relentless about being the absolute best at whatever I do,” he added, “including being the best groupie for my wife & daughter.”
Williams only replied with emojis to the post, but now she has had the last laugh/dig by popping up on the Super Bowl half-time show with the famous Crip Walk with some saying she was dancing on Drake’s grave.
Lamar’s Not Like US track also references Serena as it contains the following lyric “better not speak on Serena”.
There you have it.
