Serena Williams' appearance during Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show was a clear dig at Drake. Kendrick left fans shocked when he brought out the tennis legend, sparking speculation that he made a clear decision to take a swipe at his rapping rival. The two musicians have a well-known feud, and fans quickly made the connection between Serena's appearance and her past relationship with Drake, which reportedly began in 2015.
A Twitter user pointed out, "Kendrick getting the entire Super Bowl screaming 'a minor' with Serena Williams dancing has to feel like a shot gun blast to Drake's chest." The supposed dig comes after Drake faced criticism for name-dropping Serena in his 2022 song "Middle of the Ocean," where he rapped: "Sidebar, Serena, your husband a groupie/ He claim we don't got a problem but/ No, boo, it is like you comin' for sushi/ We might pop up on 'em at will like Suzuki.".
Kendrick Lamar had previously stood up for Serena in their rap showdown last summer, dissing Drake in "Kendrick getting Serena Williams to crip walk while performing not like us is nasty work," with the lyrics: "From Alondra down to Central, n***** better not speak on Serena.". During the Halftime Show, Kendrick performed the diss track, stopping just short of the "pedophile" line, but otherwise delivering the full force of the insult. To fans, bringing Serena on stage served as a clear emphasis on the diss, a move that added fuel to the ongoing feud between Kendrick and Drake, reports the Mirror US.
One fan commented: "He really said 'say Drake' and smiled straight at the camera.... and then brought out Serena Williams. He's sick in the head." Another added, "Kendrick getting Serena Williams to crip walk while performing not like us is nasty work," Serena's dance move was made even more memorable by her stunning outfit - a white shirt under a blue jacket, paired with a matching Royal blue tennis skirt and white and blue trainers. Her hair was styled down in curls with blonde highlights.
A different fan observed: "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.". Meanwhile, another pointed out: "While all this focus is on Serena, people are forgetting that SZA is his ex too," Kendrick may have been tactical with his guest list, as he also invited SZA to join him. Drake confirmed their past relationship in 2020 when he rapped about dating SZA in 2008 on Mr. Right Now.
SZA later clarified that it was all "love and peace" between them, but corrected the timeline. She posted on X that they were actually together in 2009, suggesting that Drake might have tweaked the dates for the sake of his lyrics. SZA emphasised: "I didn't want anybody thinking anything underage or creepy was happening. Completely innocent. Lifetimes ago.". At the time SZA and Drake were dating, she would have been approximately 19 years old while Drake was around 22. Although Drake was never officially or legally implicated in any misconduct, Kendrick made several jibes that hinted at Drake's penchant for dating with a significant age gap.
