Serena Williams’s C-Walk Is So Much Bigger Than a Drake Diss

Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl performance was epic — filled with power, symbolism, and nods to Black culture, including a cameo performance by tennis GOAT Serena Williams. As Williams c-walked on stage to the viral Drake diss track “Not Like Us,” internet chatter began, calling Williams’s appearance a personal dig at Drake, whom she dated in 2015.

But the real story has less to do with the certified lover boy and a lot to do with Wimbledon. The truth: Williams was nodding to her heavily criticized 2012 Olympics celebration, held on Wimbledon grass, where she marked the win by c-walking on the court. (The crip walk, or c-walk, is associated with the Crips, a California street gang, but it has been adopted by many West Coast rappers and come to represent LA culture.)

After performing with Lamar, Williams jokingly addressed the 2012 debacle: “I did not crip walk like that at Wimbledon, I would’ve been fined,” she said in a video posted on X.

I remember that moment — how all of Los Angeles erupted because it was an acknowledgment of where she came from, but also a cultural nod to the Black experience in Los Angeles, Watts, Long Beach, and Compton, where Serena was raised.

That said, the celebration also sparked a ton of outrage and critique, as many dubbed the dance disrespectful to the sport. But Williams stood her ground then and continues to do so today. “First of all. It was just a dance,” she replied when asked about the choice to c-walk on Wimbledon grass over a decade ago. “I didn’t know that’s what it was called. Second, why are you asking me that? If anything, you should be trying to ask me questions to lift me not bring such things … I’m done with that question.”

It’s about a larger effort to push back against systems that seek to diminish your light and joy.

The tennis world at large is known for its stuffy environment and strict rules (it wasn’t until 2023 that women athletes were permitted to wear darker-colored undergarments at Wimbledon to address period concerns). And Williams, who has won seven Wimbledon singles titles, has faced a history of scrutiny — not only for her dancing, but also her fashion choices (remember the black catsuit ban?) and hair, too. Her “Not Like Us” cameo was a memorandum on all of that.

Watching Williams c-walk on one of the nation’s largest stages was a reclamation of authenticity. Seeing her c-walk last night wasn’t about Drake, but rather a moment to say you will not define who I am and how I show up: a lesson we can all take notes from, Wimbledon and America included.

So as people continue a myriad of breakdowns of Kendrick Lamar’s halftime performance — with thinkpieces and future dissertations forthcoming — I want to reiterate that Serena Williams’s c-walking on the halftime stage is bigger than Drake. It’s about a larger effort to push back against systems that seek to diminish your light and joy. Being proud of who you are and standing in your authentic self is the essence of Black culture. “If you can’t understand, you don’t have to, but our music, our story, and our dancing, has always been a statement,” says Compton native, Regina Evans-Ridgeway. Despite the current attempts to erase our identity and history, Williams performed something of significance, both culturally and personally. It’s a true testament to “Not Like Us.” Message received, Serena.

Ralinda Watts is an author, diversity expert, consultant, practitioner, speaker, and proven thought leader who works at the intersection of race, identity, culture, and justice. She has contributed to numerous publications such as PS, CBS Media, Medium, YahooLifestyle, and the Los Angeles Times.