Serena Williams hit the field at Super Bowl LIX, joining Kendrick Lamar for his performance of “Not Like Us” the chart-topping Drake diss that references her by name. On the stage, the tennis icon performed the infamous crip walk to the fan-favorite track. After the show, the 43-year-old shared photos from rehearsals, featuring her daughter Olympia.
In the carousel upload, Williams and the seven-year-old perfect not only her hair, but her dance moves.
An additional video shared across social media finds the mother of two exclaiming, “man I did not crip walk like that at Wimbledon. I would’ve been FINED!” Her commentary references a 2012 incident where The Guardian notes controversy surrounded her crip-walking after defeating Maria Sharapova at the London Olympics.
The Compton legends uniting on stage stands as a full-circle moment as the tennis player is referenced by the rapper in the Grammy-winning track. In “Not Like Us,” K. Dot warns Drake, who is also Serena Williams’ ex-lover, “From Alondra down to Central, ni**a better not speak on Serena,” as the Toronto musician often referenced her in his work.
Williams’ appearance comes after she declared “Not Like Us” the “hit of the summer” last year when speaking at ESSENCE festival. She continued, “You definitely crip-walking in that song. It’s so cool what he did though. Bringing everyone to the stage? That was incredible… I couldn’t believe it.”
Additionally as host of the 2024 Espys, Williams joked, “And if I’ve learned anything this year, it’s that none of us—not a single one of us, not even me—should ever pick a fight with Kendrick Lamar,” as “Not Like Us” played in the venue.
After the Super Bowl LIX halftime show, Williams husband Alexis Ohanian described a “Pretty fantastic halftime show,” on X, after previously dubbing the performance “Kendrick Bowl.”
Take a look at Serena Williams popping out with Kendrick Lamar at the Super Bowl LIX halftime show for “Not Like Us,” below.
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