Serena Williams is still adamant that she was not disrespecting Drake by dancing on stage at the Super Bowl Halftime Show during Kendrick Lamar's performance of his hit diss track, "Not Like Us." While speaking with Time for a new interview in honor of the publication's list of the most influential people in 2025, the tennis legend reflected on her decision to collaborate with Lamar and the backlash she faced for doing so.
As for whether she regrets the move after seeing how audiences have responded, she says she isn't sure. “I don't know if I regret it or not,” she told the outlet. “I don't know the answer to that.” Clarifying that she "absolutely" didn't intend to throw shade at Drake, she continued: “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.”
Drake & Kendrick Lamar Beef
The performance of "Not Like Us" capped off what many in hip-hop felt was Kendrick Lamar's victory in his feud with Drake. The beef began back in 2024 when he dissed the Toronto rapper on Metro Boomin and Future's song, "Like That." In the following months, they released multiple diss tracks aimed at one another.
Having Serena Williams appear on stage at the Super Bowl wasn't the only way Kendrick Lamar dissed Drake during the event. He also joked about Drake taking legal action against Universal Music Group with allegations of defamation. Drake accused the company of artificially boosting the success of "Not Like Us" in an effort to devalue his brand amid contract negotiations between the two. UMG has consistently denied the allegations as the legal proceedings continue.
[Via]
