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What is the Crip Walk and its 'connection' to Serena Williams' sister Yetunde Price's fatal shooting?
During Super Bowl 59, Serena Williams joined Kendrick Lamar for a performance that included the Crip Walk, a dance created by members of the Crips gang.
Serena Williams made a surprise appearance during Kendrick Lamar’s halftime performance at Super Bowl 59 on Sunday. During the performance, the tennis icon appeared to perform the Crip Walk dance. Social media quickly connected the dance to the notorious gang responsible for the fatal shooting of her sister, Yetunde Price, in 2003.
What is the Crip Walk?
The Crip Walk, also known as the C-Walk, originated in Compton, California, in the 1970s. According to Ladbible, the dance was created by Robert Jackson, a first-generation member of the Crips gang.
The gang, infamous for its violent history involving murders, robberies, and drug dealing, initially used the dance as a symbol of their allegiance.
The dance involves intricate foot movements where participants often spell out “C-R-I-P” with their feet.
The gang members performed the dance after killing a target.
Over time, the Crip Walk entered the mainstream, appearing in rap culture, with artists like Snoop Dogg, Ice-T, and Ice Cube performing it in various shows.
Who Killed Serena Williams' Sister, Yetunde Price?
Yetunde Price was killed in a drive-by shooting in Compton, California, in 2003. A gunshot unexpectedly shattered the window of her white SUV and struck her in the back of the head. Price was 31 years old at the time of her death.
In a 2007 interview with People magazine, Serena Williams revealed that it was still difficult for her to talk about her sister’s death.
“Yetunde and I were so close; she changed my diapers,” the tennis legend shared. “But I finally came to an acceptance of things.”
Serena and her sister Venus opened the Yetunde Price Resource Center in Compton in late 2016.
"We definitely wanted to honor our sister's memory because she was a great sister; she was our oldest sister, and, obviously, she meant a lot to us," Serena said at the time, according to The Root.
She continued, "And it meant a lot to us, to myself and to Venus and my other sisters as well, Isha and Lyndrea, that we've been wanting to do something for years in memory of her, especially the way it happened, a violent crime."
