Skip to main content
Join

Serena Williams guest stars in Kendrick Lamar Super Bowl LIX halftime show, alludes to crip walk controversy

Brian Jones Profile Picby:Brian Jones•02/09/25•

brianjones_93

Serena Williams
Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Serena Williams made an appearance at the halftime show of Super Bowl LIX. The tennis superstar was seen dancing (specifically doing the crip walk) on the field while Kendrick Lamar was performing “Not Like Us.”

Williams doing the crip walk is not new as she did it during her playing career. She recently did it last year while hosting the ESPY Awards. At the time, Williams was taking a shot at Drake who is in a big feud with Kendrick Lamar.

After the halftime show, Serena Williams reacted to her performance. “Let’s go Super Bowl halftime??! I died a little!” she wrote on X.

Many fans were wondering if Lamar would have surprises during his show, and Williams was one of them. During his press conference, Lamar was asked what fans could expect from his show.

“Storytelling,” Lamar said, per CNN. “I’ve always been very open about storytelling through all my catalogue and my history of music. And I’ve always had a passion about bringing that on whatever stage I’m on.”

More on Kendrick Lamar and Serena Williams

There was speculation about Lamar performing “Not Like Us” as it is part of a rap battle between him and Drake. Last month, Drake filed a lawsuit against his own record label, UMG Recordings, accusing it of defamation in the publishing and promotion of “Not Like Us.” Drake is represented by Republic Records, while Lamar is represented by Interscope Records. Both companies are divisions of UMG Recordings.

“Not only are these claims untrue, but the notion that we would seek to harm the reputation of any artist—let alone Drake—is illogical,” a spokesperson for UMG said in a statement to CNN at the time the lawsuit was filed. “We have not and do not engage in defamation—against any individual. At the same time, we will vigorously defend this litigation to protect our people and our reputation, as well as any artist who might directly or indirectly become a frivolous litigation target for having done nothing more that write a song.”

Williams is enjoying the good life after stepping away from full-time competition in 2022. The 43-year-old finished her tennis career with 23 major women’s singles titles, the most in the Open Era and the second-most all-time.