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Tennis legend Serena Williams revealed that her surprise cameo during Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show was something the two had "been trying to do" for years.
Williams, 43, said the Lamar's representatives reached out to her about the appearance, acknowledging her celebration after winning gold at the 2012 London Olympics.
"When @kendricklamar and team called and was like ‘we’ve been trying to do something forever, what about this? We loved your crip walk at the Olympics after you won the gold medal,'" Williams wrote in the caption of a montage of clips shared on her Instagram account. "I’m like Super Bowl? Are you serious? When in the world would I ever be able to dance at a superbowl? (Never) let’s do it!
"I knew my winning dance after the @olympics would pay off one day.
"End of story."
The 'Crip Walk' gets its name from the street gang, the Crips, who were founded in Los Angeles and prevalent in the city of Compton, where both Williams and Lamar grew up. Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, acknowledged the dance in a video shared on her X account after the cameo.
"Man, I did not Crip Walk like that at Wimbledon, ooh, I would've been FINED," she said excitedly in a video shared on her X account. "It was all love."
Williams also shared a video of herself posing for photos after the appearance.
"Let’s go Super Bowl halftime??! I died a little!" she wrote on her X account.
Williams' appearance was also met with controversy due to her past relationship with rapper Drake, who Lamar targeted in the song and made several serious allegations against. Williams was specifically referenced by Lamar in 'Not Like Us' when he mentioned several notable Compton residents with ties to Drake and warned, "better not speak on Serena."
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