FROM THE GRIO — American hip-hop culture has found its way into the hearts of Olympians, who are expressing their love of rap as they perform in London. Gold medal winners like Serena Williams, Ryan Lochte, Michael Phelps and Gabby Douglas are showing their love of hip-hop in the most surprising ways.
Lochte, 28, who has won two gold medals in this year’s games, has been nicknamed Swim Thugga. The 6’2″ American swimmer is not only allegedly dating Love and Hip Hop‘s K Michelle, but he also had rap insiders Paul Wall and TV Johnny make him a diamond-encrusted American flag grill. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) wasn’t as impressed, and has banned Lochte from wearing it again if he wants to receive any of his medals.
After winning against Maria Sharapova at the Woman’s Singles, Serena Williams, who grew up in Compton, did the Crip walk in celebration. She has received some backlash for performing a gang-affiliated dance. Fox Sports‘ Jason Whitlock wrote: “What Serena did was akin to cracking a tasteless, X-rated joke inside a church[.] Serena deserve[s] to be called out. What she did was immature and classless.”
But the four-time Olympic gold medal winner is not about to apologize for her expression of joy, or the controversy her dance might have caused.
“I don’t care. That’s the least of my worries… I’m so excited I was able to do the dance. I’m glad I did it!” she told Us Weekly on Monday.
Serena is my favorite. Crip walking is def from gang culture but then again, so are alot of other things we do in this country. And there is another type of cultural association to it that only makes sense if you come from this
WHy are you quoting an Uncle Tom like Jason Whitlock?