For the first time in history, a rap song was played outside of Earth. According to a recent statement by NASA, the American space agency transmitted Missy Elliott’s 1997 hit The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly) more than 254 million kilometers out of the ozone layer, allowing it to be listened-to in space.
Traveling at the speed of light from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California all the way to Venus thanks NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN), in about 14 minutes, the track reached its final destination and made history as the first rap song to ever be played beyond our planet (unless Aliens managed that feat first and we just don’t know?)
Supa-flying to Venus!
For the first time, a hip-hop song was transmitted #OutOfThisWorld. @MissyElliott‘s “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” traveled 158 million miles to Venus through NASA’s Deep Space Network from @NASAJPL‘s Deep Space Station 13 in California: https://t.co/Gg5ibm80hb pic.twitter.com/BwsdTNNqCv
— NASA (@NASA) July 15, 2024
In a formal announcement, Brittany Brown, Director of the Digital and Technology Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington, explained why a song from Elliott’s repertoire was chosen to be sent to space. “Missy has a track record of infusing space-centric storytelling and futuristic visuals in her music videos, so the opportunity to collaborate on something out of this world is truly fitting,” she wrote.
The 53-year-old American rapper, whose favorite planet is Venus, took to X to celebrate the historic moment, writing: “YOOO this is crazy! We just went #OutOfThisWorld with @NASAand sent the FIRST hip hop song into space through the Deep Space Network. My song The Rain has officially been transmitted all the way to Venus, the planet that symbolizes strength, beauty and empowerment. The sky is not the limit, it’s just the beginning.”
This achievement comes more than 55 years after the first song was ever played in space. On Dec. 16, 1965, astronauts Wally Schirra and Thomas P. Stafford played James Lord Pierpont’s Jingle Bells on a harmonica during NASA’s Gemini 6A mission.
