Serena Williams: “I’m a Good Rapper”

For Serena Williams, few things are as important to her as the music she walks out to before facing off against an opponent. It’s the one thing that really gets her going before a big match. So in an effort to find the perfect song to help her set things off, the ten-time Grand Slam champion has teamed up with Ludacris’s website WeMix.com to give aspiring musicians the chance to create the song she’ll use to take the court at the U.S. Open in New York City in August. Artists can submit their unique songs now for consideration (entrants can also submit their song through Williams’s own site, serenawilliams.com).

But before you rig up the Auto-Tune and get to work, know this: VIBE isn’t about to have you throwing a bunch of half-assed songs into the competition. This is Serena Williams, people! So we went straight to the source and asked the 27-year-old Women’s Tennis Association champ to fill in the blanks about her favorite songs, artists and albums. For all you aspiring songwriters (yeah, we know you’re tuning into VIBE.com), check out what she served up. Then, get in the lab and make something guaranteed to get Serena open at the Open.

The music I like is…Hip hop. But I like to go out to everything. I love pop. I love R&B. I’m a little bit of everything.

I can’t get enough of…T.I. I like that song [“Dead and Gone”] he has out right now with Justin Timberlake. That’s one of my favorite songs.

The first album I ever bought was…[Mariah Carey’s self-titled album] Mariah Carey. I was in the third grade and I used to love “Vision of Love.” That and then “Someday.” My history with her goes forever.

My first hip hop experience was with …When I first started listening, honestly listening, it was Kris Kross because they were my age group.

My favorite type of hip hop is…I’m a Southern rap kind of girl. I love Ludacris songs. “Southern Hospitality,” that’s just a classic to me. And then I like “Runaway Love,” the one with Mary J. Blige. It’s impossible to have a favorite Ludacris song.

But if I’m really trying to get crazy, I put on… Beyoncé! She just has such hot songs. When I’m out and they play her record, it’s just like, “There you go!”

And since now you’re wondering if I can do the “Single Ladies” dance…Yeah, I can pretty much do it.

But if you ask me about the “Stanky Legg”…I haven’t heard about that one.

One artist I do know and love though that you might not expect me to is…Green Day. I have the first album. Another thing no one would expect me to love is country music.

When it’s time for me to unwind me, I throw on…Kelly Clarkson. I like all her slow songs. They are just to die for. Really, they’re awesome. Great with a bottle of wine. [laughs]

So is…Britney Spears’ “Every Time.” Believe it or not, that’s one of my favorite slow songs.

As far as my own singing abilities…As long as no one else is around, that’s when I sing. I don’t sing very well so I’m more or less a car singer.

But when it comes to rapping…I’m a really good rapper. Terrible singer, but I’m a good rapper. I don’t freestyle though. I have to write it down.