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DJ Akademiks claimed that Serena Williams was lying after the tennis legend denied that her crip walk during the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show was a diss aimed at Drake. For context, Williams crip walked to Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" during the rapper's Super Bowl halftime show in February.
Many perceived Williams' appearance as her way of dissing Drake, whom she dated between 2011 and 2015. However, the exact timeline of their romance is unclear. During her April 16 interview with TIME Magazine for its "100 Most Influential People" issue, Serena Williams denied the rumors of bad blood between her and Drake.
When the interviewer asked if her crip walk was a subtle shade at the Canadian rapper, she replied:
“Absolutely not. I would never do that. And that was sad, that anyone would ever think that. I respect how they could. Obviously I can see how someone would think that. But absolutely not. I have never had negative feelings towards him. We’ve known him for so many years.”
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During his Rumble livestream that same day, DJ Akademiks, a well-known fan of Drake, expressed his disbelief that the tennis legend's crip walk was not aimed at the Canadian rapper.
"The idea that you were crip walking for Compton sounds ludicrous, like, that's a lie," Akademiks said.
Exploring DJ Akademiks' opinion about Serena Williams' comments regarding her crip walk
During his recent livestream, DJ Akademiks shared his opinion about Serena Williams denying that her cameo in Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl performance was a diss aimed at Drake. After dubbing Williams' statement a "lie," Akademiks remarked that he would have respected her more had she admitted that she performed at the Super Bowl to spite Drake.
Furthermore, he noted that it would make sense for Williams to do so after Drake dissed her husband, Alexis Ohanian (the co-founder of Reddit), referring to him as a "groupie" in his 2022 track Middle of the Ocean.
"Serena, Drake dated you, dipped out like a f**k n***a, and then, when you got your new man, Drake, supposedly there's some backstory with that that we don't know, but then, Drake dissed the man on the thing, he said, 'Serena, your husband's a groupie.' Like, bro, have some cojones," Akademiks said.
The media personality added that if he had been in Serena Williams' position, he would have insulted Drake in the TIME interview instead of telling the publication that she harbored no negative feelings toward the rapper.
Akademiks also accused many people of "backtracking" their opinions about Drake after he proved that his career was not affected following his rap beef with Kendrick Lamar, which he was widely perceived to have lost.
Ak also claimed the success of "Nokia, "a track from $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, made people allegedly change their tune about Drake. For context, "Nokia" is currently in the second spot on the Billboard Hot 100. The chart is currently topped by Lamar's "Luther" from GNX.
Serena Williams is unsure whether she regrets her crip walk
During her interview with TIME Magazine, Serena Williams admitted she was uncertain about regretting crip walking at the Super Bowl halftime show after many criticized her performance.
“I don't know if I regret it or not. I don't know the answer to that,” she said.
According to the publication, the FCC received over 125 complaints about the show, with Williams' crip walk criticized for promoting "gang affiliation." The criticisms were similar to those she faced after crip walking following her victory at Wimbledon in 2012.
During the Time Magazine interview, Serena Williams revealed that Kendrick Lamar contacted her a few weeks before the Super Bowl, asking if she would like to be part of his performance. She also stated that she agreed to the Super Bowl opportunity to show support for her hometown of Compton.
For context, both Williams and Lamar are from Compton, California, and Lamar even name-dropped Serena Williams in Not Like Us to warn Drake against disrespecting her, rapping:
"From Alondra down to Central, n***a better not speak on Serena."
The retired tennis player said that she downed two tequila shots to calm her nerves before performing at the Super Bowl. However, she added that it didn't help, and her team discouraged her from taking a third shot.
Serena Williams also addressed ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith's comments about her Super Bowl performance during her TIME interview. For those unaware, during the show First Take, Smith remarked that if he were Williams' husband, he would have taken offense if the tennis legend went out to "troll" her ex with her crip walk.
“I thought it was hilarious. He’s allowed to have his personal opinion. But did you see my husband’s remark? It was so eloquent,” Williams said about Smith's remarks.
Ohanian defended Serena Williams on social media at the time, stating that his wife's crip walk during the Super Bowl was a callback to her dance after the 2012 Wimbledon win, which had garnered her immense criticism.
Serena Williams made it onto TIME Magazine's annual "100 Most Influential People" list for the third time in 2025. The list also included Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, President Donald Trump, and tech billionaire Elon Musk, among others.
