Kendrick Lamar Teams up With Serena Williams for New Halftime Performance
In a display of musical mastery and rap rivalry, Kendrick Lamar delivered an unexpected twist during the Super Bowl halftime performance featuring Serena Williams.
The highlight of the show came during Lamar’s performance of his Grammy Award-winning Drake diss track “Not Like Us,” when tennis legend Serena Williams appeared at the front of the stage. She did a bold Crip Walk that immediately captured viewers’ attention. Following the performance, the athlete playfully addressed her dance moves on social media. She compared them to her more restrained behavior at Wimbledon.
Super Bowl halftime show babyyyyyyyyy pic.twitter.com/zufoSNdNhe
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) February 10, 2025
The significance of her appearance is much deeper than entertainment. As a fellow Compton native, her presence complemented the rapper’s tribute to his Hub City roots. However, the choice to feature the tennis player carried additional weight given her complicated history with Drake.
Their rumored romantic past, coupled with Drake’s recent 100-gigabyte data leak revealing that his 2016 hit “Too Good” was inspired by her, added layers of meaning to her participation.
Her appearance seemed personal and specific given her recent comments at the ESPYs, where she had joked about Drake’s ongoing feud with Lamar while performing the same dance moves that would later appear in the halftime show. Alongside other special guests SZA and Samuel L. Jackson, Williams’ presence was a masterful stroke of showmanship and subtle commentary.
Social media erupted with reactions. Fans noted the significance of the moment. One viewer praised Lamar’s choice to include Williams as “chaotic good,” while others used the moment to playfully bash the Kansas City Chiefs’ first-half performance against the Philadelphia Eagles. Her brief performance has created more excitement than the team’s offensive efforts.
kendrick bringing out serena williams to crip walk after drake stalked that woman publicly for years and obsessively threw shots at her for turning him down is so wild, that man is the definition of chaotic good
— 5hahem aka Dr. Durag (@shaTIRED) February 10, 2025
Serena crip walked for 4 seconds and gained more yards than the Chiefs in the entire first half
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) February 10, 2025
Check out Kendrick Lamar’s full Super Bowl halftime performance here.
