One of the biggest talking points from the 2025 Super Bowl wasSerena Williams’crip walk during the halftime show.
As part of Kendrick Lamar’s performance, the tennis star did the popular dance move to entertain the crowd. However, her decision has sparked debate for several reasons.
Some critics argue that the dance is linked to gang culture and was inappropriate for the event. Others believe her appearance was aimed at her ex, Drake, since Kendrick Lamar was performing a diss track against him at the time.
On Tuesday, February 11, 2025, Serena took to social media to share the reason behind her dance move.
“When @kendricklamar and team called and were 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’.”
“When in the world would I ever be able to dance at aSuper Bowl?(Never) let’s do it. The best 15 seconds of my life!” she shared on social media.
The post came with a video of the dance, with Serena Williams entertaining the crowd with her moves.
Over the past few days, Rihannahas completely taken over the world.
The Barbadian hottie delivered a sensational Super Bowl half-time performance sporting a baby bump. Following the game, she confirmed she and baby daddy A$AP Rocky are expecting baby no.2.
The Bad girl RiRi wasn’t done though – a couple of days later, she was unveiled as the cover star for the March edition of British Vogue.
Rihanna, A$AP Rocky and her first son all posed for the magazine in a sensational shoot.
Sharing the photos, Rihanna wrote: “My son so fine! Idc idc idc! How crazy both of my babies were in these photos and mommy had no clue Thank you so much Edward Enninful and Inez and Vinoodh for celebrating us as a family!”
Check out the photos below…
Who Is Edward Enninful?
Edward Enninful and his partner
Edward Enninful is the editor-in-chief of British Vogue and European editorial director of Condé Nast.
Enninful was born in Ghana, the fifth of six children to Major Crosby Enninful of the Ghanaian Army.
Following the ousting of General IK Acheampong from power, his family fled to the UK, settling in Ladbroke Grove, London.
His mother was a seamstress and Enninful got his love for fashion from watching her designing vivid patterns for the clothes she sewed for her friends.
The British-Ghanaian took over British Vogue as editor-in-chief on August 1, 2017. In just over two years as editor-in-chief of the famed publication, he has helped shape a new vision for fashion media — not just in the UK, but globall.
Enninful has described his vision for British Vogue as “about being inclusive. It’s not just the colour of your skin but the diversity of perspective.”
His digital prowess and drive to break the storied title into previously unreported coverage areas has seen the publication reach new, younger audiences across social media, video and online.
Digital traffic at the title grew by 7.8 percent in 2018 to 14.8 million monthly unique users, while print circulation has increased 1.1 percent since 2017.
American rapper, Jay Z, has represented Ghana during the annual Super Bowl, the National Football League’s penultimate playoff game that determines the league champion in America.
The show also has some of the top artistes attending and on the back of Jay Z’s black hoodie was Ghana, clearly printed on the rapper’s apparel.
Also captured with Ghana were some major countries such as Australia, Germany, Canada, Mexico, China, Japan, and the United Kingdom printed on Jay Z’s top.
Jay Z matched his hoodie with a pair of white sneakers, sunglasses, and an all-black outfit that complemented his long dreadlocks.
At the 57th Super Bowl on Sunday, February 12, 2023, the Philadelphia Eagles will take on the Kansas City Chiefs at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona-Phoenix.
The global sports event will be witnessed by millions worldwide with eye-watering television commercials on display and a halftime musical performance by American RnB singer Rihanna and other surprise acts.
Rihanna delivered an electrifying and hit-heavy half-time show at Sunday’s Super Bowl, but social media went into meltdown when the singer revealed an unexpected special guest.
In an interview last week, the Bajan singer was asked if there would be any surprises during her performance at Arizona’s State Farm Stadium.
“I’m thinking about bringing someone,” she replied. “I’m not sure, we’ll see.”
Naturally, fans assumed she was talking about one of the many artists she’s collaborated with during her illustrious career. A guest spot from Jay-Z, Drake or Eminem seemed both likely and in keeping with the half-time show tradition of surprise duets.
But Rihanna wasn’t referring to any of them. Although nobody twigged at the time, she was in fact hinting that she was pregnant with her second child.
The singer may have failed to debut any new music during her performance at Sunday’s Super Bowl, but the baby bump she debuted instead almost broke the internet.
Image caption,Rihanna’s representatives confirmed she was pregnant shortly after her performance
Wearing an all-red custom jumpsuit by Loewe, Rihanna appeared on one of several floating platforms which soared high above the crowd, as a swarm of energetic dancers, all dressed in white, gathered below.
The audience went wild as the singer launched straight into Better Have My Money – a somewhat ironic opener considering she is not being paid for her Super Bowl performance.
As the 34-year-old dazzled the crowd from on high, her dancers performed beneath her at breakneck speed, in a display of razor-sharp choreography which they would maintain throughout the whole performance.
The singer rattled through several recognisable hits, front-loading her set with some of her most danceable and up-tempo numbers including Only Girl (In The World) and the excellent Where Have You Been.
It was a half-time show not short on spectacle, even once she had been lowered to the ground. Fireworks were let off above the stadium as she launched into the euphoric We Found Love.
Image caption,Rihanna’s dancers performed razor-sharp routines at breakneck speed
While rumours that the star might take the opportunity to perform new music failed to materialise, the decision to rely on her extensive back catalogue, one of the strongest in pop, was a sensible one.
The singer packed a huge number of hits into a tight 14-minute set, only performing the first verse or chorus of certain songs. But monster hits such as Rude Boy were balanced with the somewhat harder-edged and lesser-known Pour It Up.
Somewhat disappointingly, the set list took advantage of some of her best-known collaborations – without any of her collaborators actually joining her on stage.
As she performed Run This Town, All of the Lights and Wild Thoughts, there were no appearances from Jay-Z, Ye (formerly Kanye West) or DJ Khaled, who normally feature on those tracks.
But their absence didn’t matter. By this point, everyone’s attention was firmly on an entirely different, and very visible, special guest.
Which songs did Rihanna perform?
Image caption,The Super Bowl marked Rihanna’s first televised live performance since the 2018 Grammys
3. Only Girl (In The World)
8. Birthday Cake (instrumental) / Pour It Up
Confusion initially permeated social media as fans rushed to share their theories about Rihanna’s apparent baby bump. Many pointed out the singer is known for her body positivity and could well have just been showing off her curvier figure following her previous pregnancy.
Although the star’s bump was on display throughout, Rihanna did not draw attention to it quite as explicitly as Beyoncé did at the MTV VMAs in 2011, where she memorably dropped her microphone, unbuttoned her jacket and rubbed her belly.
But as Rihanna’s set progressed on Sunday, viewers became increasingly confident she was pregnant again, nine months after she and her partner A$AP Rocky welcomed their son.
Within an hour of Rihanna’s performance drawing to a close, as her fans debated exactly which trimester she might be in, her representatives officially confirmed the singer’s good news.
While some fans admitted to a tinge of disappointment that this will likely mean yet another delay to Rihanna’s much-anticipated ninth studio album, the reaction on social media was overwhelmingly joyful.
Rihanna fans are eagerly anticipating her performance at the Super Bowl half-time show – one of the biggest and most prestigious gigs in music.
The singer will perform during the break when the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
Rihanna has not toured or released an album since 2016’s Anti. The star has instead focused on her fashion brand, and last year welcomed her first child.
However, she did record a new song last year for Marvel’s Wakanda Forever.
Lift Me Up, which features on the soundtrack to the Black Panther sequel, marked Rihanna’s first new solo single for six years and has been nominated for an Oscar.
Fans hope that the 34-year-old’s Super Bowl performance could signal a bigger musical comeback later this year.
The singer said on Thursday it was initially “scary” to accept the invitation and take on one of music’s biggest stages. “I haven’t been on stage for seven years,” she said, speaking at a press conference ahead of the big game.
But she said that it was important to her to be “representing for immigrants, representing for my country, Barbados, representing for black women everywhere”.
What time and where is the Super Bowl?
Image caption, Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles will face each other at the Super Bowl LVII (the 57th annual championship game)
The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL), to determine the league champion.
This year, the Philadelphia Eagles will face the Kansas City Chiefs at the State Farm Stadium in Arizona.
The Super Bowl LVII (the Roman numerals signify this is the 57th year) will take place on Sunday 12 February, with kick-off at 23:30 GMT (18:30 ET/16:30 MST).
The game usually lasts about three-and-a-half hours, with a 30-minute break in the middle, which is where an A-list pop star is hired to keep the crowds entertained.
How to follow the Super Bowl
Image caption, Deaf actor Troy Kotsur, pictured at the Super Bowl press conference on Thursday, will sign the national anthem
UK viewers can watch the game and half-time show live on ITV1 and the recently-launched streaming service ITVX, with coverage beginning at 22:45 GMT. It is also being shown on Sky Sports, starting at 22:00.
There will be live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live, and live text on the BBC Sport website and app, which will also have post-match video highlights.
In the US, it will air on Fox, and also be streamed on the Fox Sports website and app, the NFL+ app, as well as Hulu, fuboTV, Roku TV and Sling TV.
Rihanna won’t be the only star involved in the Super Bowl proceedings. Coda star Troy Kotsur, who won an Oscar last year for his performance in the Apple TV film, will sign US national anthem this year.
Which songs will Rihanna perform?
Image caption, Rihanna and her partner A$AP Rocky (pictured at the Met Gala in 2021) welcomed their first child last May
Nobody knows for sure which songs will make the cut. Half-time show set lists and a performer’s special guests are shrouded in secrecy to ensure fans are surprised on the night.
“The setlist was the biggest challenge,” Rihanna told Apple Music on Thursday. “You’re trying to cram 17 years of work into 13 minutes.”
But the star should be able to squeeze in quite a few of her many hits, particularly as performers often play only short snippets of some songs so they can cover more of their back catalogue.
Speculating about the possible song list is part of the fun for fans. Gossip outlet Deuxmoi quoted a source last week who suggested Rihanna would stick to her older, best-known hits, but added that the set list is being constantly tweaked and polished.
At Thursday’s press conference, Rihanna confirmed, only half-jokingly, that there are “about 39 versions of the set list right now”.
Half-time performers also often invite very special guests to appear alongside them. Coldplay brought out Beyoncé and Bruno Mars, while Katy Perry hosted Missy Elliott and Lenny Kravitz.
But teaming up with other stars can often result the most controversial moments of half-time shows, such as Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson’s “wardrobe malfunction” and M.I.A.’s choice of hand gesture when she joined Madonna.
Why is the half-time show important?
Image caption, Snoop Dogg (pictured) performed last year, alongside Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent and Mary J Blige
Headlining the Super Bowl is one of the biggest and most prestigious gigs in music, due to the astronomically large TV audience both in the US and around the world.
About 100 million viewers watched last year’s Super Bowl in the US alone, while Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Mary J Blige, Kendrick Lamar and 50 Cent’s half-time show added a further 160m views on YouTube.
In recent years, YouTube has become an increasingly important component of a half-time show’s impact. Shakira and Jennifer Lopez, who jointly headlined in 2020, notched up 264m plays of their set – the highest of any half-time show to date.
Other headliners at the Super Bowl over the years have included Lady Gaga, Prince, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and Michael Jackson.
Given the number of viewers watching, a well-received and hit-heavy performance can have a huge impact on an artist’s streaming and sales figures in the weeks following the Super Bowl.
When is Rihanna’s next album out?
Image caption, Rihanna pictured at January’s Golden Globes with Black Panther director Ryan Coogler
Rihanna’s return to live performing has prompted speculation that new music from her could finally be on the way.
The singer used to churn out one album a year, but took an extended break from music after 2016’s Anti, resurfacing only occasionally to work with other artists.
Her last genuinely massive hit was 2017’s Wild Thoughts, a collaboration with DJ Khaled and and Bryson Tiller, which the trio performed at the following year’s Grammy Awards.
Since then, she has had her first child with her partner A$AP Rocky and continued to build her fashion and cosmetics brand Fenty.
As a result, music has taken a back seat, but in 2022 she released her first new solo single for six years, Lift Me Up.
Image caption, Rihanna’s contribution to the Wakanda Forever soundtrack in 2022 marked her first new solo single for six years
That has catapulted Rihanna into this year’s film awards season. She attended the Golden Globes last month, where the track was nominated, and she is also up for best original song at the Oscars on 12 March.
Her absence from the world of music has lasted so long, the huge anticipation for her new album has become something of a running joke.
“I’m going to say something very controversial,” he said. “Rihanna, you take all the time you want on that album girl. Don’t let these fools on the internet pressure you into nothing.”
