Tennis legend Serena Williams made a surprise appearance during Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show, performing the crip walk—a dance rooted in Los Angeles culture. The move nodded to both stars’ shared hometown but also resurfaced past controversy. Williams previously faced criticism for doing the same dance after winning Olympic gold in 2012, with some arguing it inappropriately glorified gang culture.
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Following the backlash over her 2012 Wimbledon celebration, Serena Williams addressed the controversy, denying that her dance was the original crip walk associated with the Los Angeles-based Crips gang from the 1970s. She dismissed the criticism, insisting that it was simply a dance move and not a statement about gang culture. Many of her supporters defended her, arguing that the outrage was overblown and rooted in racial bias, given that similar celebrations by other athletes had not sparked the same level of scrutiny.
Williams’ recent Super Bowl appearance reignited discussions, not only because of her dance moves but also due to her rumored past relationship with rapper Drake. His long-standing feud with Kendrick Lamar—who performed at the halftime show—had been a major talking point in hip-hop, especially after Lamar’s Grammy-winning diss track aimed at Drake. While some speculated about the deeper significance of Williams’ presence at Lamar’s performance, she remained unfazed by the renewed backlash, standing by both her dance and her decision to be part of the show.
