*Yeah Serena Williams is from the hood, and she was sure to let the whole world know when she took a moment to reference the hood with a little Crip Walk after winning an Olympic gold medal.
Snoop Dogg definitely noticed and saluted the champion tennis player with a “Go Girl.”
His praise came just in time because she was hotly criticized for representing a “gangster lifestyle” at the prestigious international games.
Fox Sports (of course) columnist, Jason Whitlock, wrote a scathing item bashing the culturally aware tennis star for her antics.
“Serena deserved to be criticized and she should have immediately apologized,” Whitlock wrote. “Wimbledon isn’t a place to break out a dance popularized by California Crip gang members. She knows it. That’s why she got embarrassed when asked by reporters to reveal the name of the dance.”
Serena’s from Compton, Calif., a place where the C-Walk reigned supreme at one point. When reporters asked her the name of the dance, she responded, “Actually, there is a name,” Williams told a throng of reporters. “But I don’t know if it’s appropriate. It’s just a dance we do in California.”
But she isn’t the first one to represent hard in the paint with a lil’ gangsta jig; NBA player Brent Barry did the same during the 2003 NBA All-Star 3-point contest.
Don’t think anyone wrote a column about him? Maybe because he’s a white boy?! Hmm, ya think?
See Serena and Brent C-Walkin’ below:
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i immediately knew it would be troublesome when she did it. i was shocked that she was actually doing it. as much as i want to agree about the double standard, i think she played herself more than she did her opponent. any celebratory dance would have done other after the win, dayum, the bank head bounce is safe. it was dumb and as much as i love her i cant give her a pass on this one. u have to be smarter than this. u are representing the usa, not compton, not the crips.
This is yet another silly controversy.
I would wager that @least 80% of americans never even knew this was started as a gang dance.
No surprise that Jason “Uncle Ruckus” Whitlock chimed in w/his effort to talk about her “supporting” gang life. Negro please!
This is a severly NONissue
It’s a huge issue because the Crips gang was started by black people; remember Stanley Tookie Williams was finally executed in 2005. 80% of America knows that, and if they don’t can easily find out online. Serena is just going backwards with doing that dance in general. The white guy Brett did the dance on USA soil, huge difference!! And yes white folks watching knew exactly what the dance is.
It’s a huge issue because america has adopted what once was a “gang dance” and made it mainstream? That’s an odd way of looking at things.
I can comfortably say that most americans..the overwhelming majority of americans NEVER associated doing the dance w/gangs.
You’re from the West Coast I assume?
I’ve been done with Jason Whitlock’s fat azz ever since he called Randy Moss an Uncle Tom. Jason has been going hard on Serena for the longest. Either he has an acute disdain for her or her wants to smang her. In either case this thing he has for her is obvious, unhealthy and unprofessional. He needs to make a date with Jenny Craig and go sit down somwhere.
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I’m not surprised by the doublestandard at all. It’s obvious that Brent planned his dance- he had music and the dance went on, and on, and on…. Whereas with Serena, it was something spontaneous and quick and “in the moment.” So if we are comparing, his “offense” was far more egregious than Serena’s. But, he did his 9 years ago, before we had the “gift” of instant digital gratification (Twitter, Youtube, 24-hour news, etc…) so of course it wasn’t made readily available for worldwide scrutiny. The true test would be if someone of a different “cultural persuasion” did the C-walk on the public stage today and see if they get the same backlash, if at all. But, who am I kidding? We all know how that will turn out…
BTW, I had no idea what the Crip-walk was until the media blew it all out of proportion. I just thought she did a cute little dance for 5 seconds. I bet that not many people outside of LA, or those who are from LA, even knew what the heck it was either. Certainly the folks in London didn’t know. This is another example of how the media makes a mountain out of a molehill and calls it “reporting.” smh.
Go on Serena with your baaaaaad self! *C-walks out of the room*
ClosetNerdGirl WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
“I bet that not many people outside of LA, or those who are from LA, even knew what the heck it was either”
This is some poppycock I tell you! POPPYCOCK! I’m from LA born and raised and I definitely know it was. Anyone that keeps up with the hip hop culture or is from the inner city knows what it is, especially people 40 and under. They have made rap songs about this dance,videos, etc.
Football players have done this after touchdows, bball players have done it, college players have done it, high school cheerleaders have done. YOU ARE DEFINITELY LOST! You can watch VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE OF WHITE BOYS IN OTHER COUNTRIES DOING THIS DANCE. You just assumed people didn’t know what this dance was because YOU DIDN’T KNOW.
So, where are you from again? You’re living up to your name today. NO BEEF.
I beg to differ, I didn’t know what the dance was either and I’m and East coast guy. I def do not follow Hip-Hop and had no idea of its origin. I had someone explain it to me after I saw numerous tweets about it.
Well now I know I’m back in the swing of things after laying low for a minute. I’ve just been “welcomed” by Al. How you been? LOL!
In my sentence that you quoted, I recognized that people who are in LA or from LA know about it, but those outside of LA don’t. My gammar may not have been on point (I was thinking/typing fast) but the meaning was clear. I’m obviously not from L.A., and trust, I am not the only person who is not up on all things hip-hop or who even cares to be.
You are assuming (BTW- I just noticed that the EUR censors stopped bleeping out the first three letters in “assume”. YAY!!) that becasue YOU know what the C walk is that everybody else knows and should know. I still bet that before the media blew this up, there were more people who did not know what it was than who did. I stand by my original statement.
But the rest of your post goes to the point of how biased the media can be of some public figures. Have any other athletes been criticized for doing this dance? Has Jason ripped any of them? I really want to know becasue if it happened I missed it. I just know that Jason never misses and opportunty to go in on Serena, so this is par for the course for him.
Double standard – the media just wishes the Williams sisters had never happened. My 83 yr old father compared their treatment by the media to the way Althea Gibson was treated over 40 years ago. It almost bought him to tears. Anywho, the best revenge is living and WINNING well. Keep on keeping on Serena!
Cade Foster, you’re from the East Coast and didn’t know what the C-Walk is? HOW OLD ARE YOU? That matters. I made a reference to that. I stated that anyone that follows the hip hop culture knows what it is or is from the inner city. That really will determine whether you know what it is or not.
ClosetNerdGirl, hello! How are you! I’m doing just fine thanks for asking. I wasn’t really going in on you so please don’t think that. I assumed? You said this though.
“I bet that not many people outside of LA, or those who are from LA, even knew what the heck it was either. Certainly the folks in London didn’t know.”
I willing to bet that many do. Millions of people follow hip hop if you didn’t know. Of course more people don’t know what it is than is, but we aren’t speaking on that. Many people outside of LA/California know what it is. Like I’ve said before, there are countless videos on youtube and other sites like it that have white people doing it. All of them are not in this country either. This is the main point. ANYONE AND I MEAN ANYONE that “follows” hip hop knows what the c-walk is. It’s a part of hip hop culture as much as it is gang culture. Another point is age. How old are you? There are good chances an older person will not know what the c-walk is because more than likely they don’t follow hip hip anymore or never did.
Agreed that the media is biased. I will not debate that. Now you have too look at WHO was in the crowd at that tennis match. Older white people who have no clue on what hip hop is. Hell they probably don’t know who Slick Rick is and he lived there! LOL
This is an overkill like Gabbys hair. A lady I know who is over 40 from LA said that the dance (without the gang signs) was out long before the Crips had claimed it. People will find something nag about.
So many struggles but so little time. I love reading this stuff.
I’m a woman of a certain age, and I thought they were talking about old people out for a walk! Sorry but, I’m serious. Then I checked it out again and it looks like what we did on skates called the “Freddy Flintstone”!! jason is a school yard scrub, if he can’t smash it, he’s gotta bash it.
I thought it was cute. I knew it when I saw it and gave her big ups for bringing it back. I was in high school in the south in the 90′s and by then EVERYONE was doing it ; you didn’t have to be a crip to do the foot work. Now all the hand signs and signals that go WITH it, oh yeah, you didn’t do that unless you were crippin’.
Some people just take life way too serious. Y’all think Jason Whitlock gives a fuck about any gangsta dance? That man was just out to get a rise out of y’all. That’s how he stays relevant, by writing stuff which he knows will get folks riled up.
If Serena wants to represent her hood that’s her prerogative. There was nothing negative about what she did. Isn’t that what we want gangs to engage in? Harmless stuff like dancing rather than shooting. It’s not even like she was pointing her finger like a gun or throwing a gang sign. Not that those are any more harmful either.
the first reasonable post from Reds since 2003
This reminds me of how, when a Black athlete celebrates in the NFL end one & gets called for…”excessive celebration”, but in that saaaaaame GD game?, a White boy can “jump up IN” the stands n shyt & not get ONE fkn penalty called against…”him”/them. They may refer to this as “double stand s”?, but when the smoke clears?, it’s just plain ole….”racism”.
Like…if Serena “had been” a damn gang member in her past?, then…yeah!!, not a great. You’ve of movement. But…when peeps C-walk nowadays?, it ain’t to celebrate “KILLING” someone like the dance originally represented! So….if SHE “did it”, the SAME way “HE” ( the White guy!!) did it?, WTF should “she” be the only one…penalized!?? Neither onnnnnne were “representing “thug life”!!!, they were just ….”dancing a fkn jig”, that’s it!! Why crucify “her” &eave HIS azz…alone!? Just as in the J.Jackson vs. J.Timberfake incident?, they ally charged Janet for the incident, that couldn’t be done WITHOUT…Justin’s “knowing OF the stint”!!, (I mean, she didn’t “pull her “own” tiddy out!!) but still he…..skated off free. And mind y’all…..this is a “Black thang” so to “me”?, if ANYone should get a damn “pass”?, it should be the …BLACK person!! WTF is reeeeeally goin ‘on!!?? I’ll tell yah “what”…America can NOT deal with Blacks showing/proving the images & lies YT has shiwn around the world, to be just “that”….”lies”!! “That” AND they are directing ALL their hatred for Obie, towards everyone who “looks like”…Obie. Both cases are the reflection of America’s refusal of seeing Blacks AS…..”Americans” & gherefore woryhy of…respect. Ehh well….”shyt tadeh”! SMGDH!
Sorry again y’all! The corrections in their order are…..”in zone”, double standards”, “not a great choice of movement”, “& “L”eave “HIS” azz alone” etc…, “YT has shOwn”, as Americans and “therefore” “worthy” of…respect! Wheeeeeew, (I’mma throw this iPhone against the WALL, one day. Hee hee heeeeee, carry ‘on!)
Whites are really annoyed that Blacks make such good athletes. But the truth is that White laziness is really to blame for their lack of athletic prowess.
I had no clue about the origins of Serena spontaneous lil dance and doubt most are that familiar with it. Glad someone found footage of the white boy hoofing it up as a comparison. Whitlock is disgusting and can always be counted on to write such drivel.