At the 2012 London Olympics, after winning gold, Williams was seen crip walking. That incident sparked a mix of celebration and controversy.
When it happened, Bill Plaschke, a sports journalist from the LA Times, took to Twitter and said, “Serena C-walking at Wimbledon only shows how long she’s been away from home, separated from violence and death associated with that dance.”
Fans had divided opinions about Williams doing the crip walk to celebrate her victory. Some argued that it wasn’t “disrespectful,” while others deemed it “stupid and classless.”
In response to Plaschke’s criticism, one fan tweeted, “The Suburb kids here in Pittsburgh crip walk at proms. Not everything is Controversy.” Another shared, “Moment of raw emotion. Questionable dance choice. Not disrespectful. We should embrace realness from athletes.” Yet another commented, “Shame she had to put a tarnish on an impressive win. just plain stupid and classless.”
When Lamar took to the halftime stage at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, the excitement was at an all-time high. As the beat of the song dropped and the stadium erupted, right at one of the most captivating moments of the track, the camera spotted Williams. She was effortlessly grooving to the Grammy-winning song “Not Like Us,” which is Kendrick Lamar’s diss track aimed at Drake.
It’s worth noting that Williams reportedly dated the Canadian rapper before marrying Alexis Ohanian. By bringing her on stage, Lamar seemed to take his ongoing feud with Drake to a whole new level.
With that single dance move, any doubts about where Serena stood in the Drake vs. Kendrick feud were wiped away.