Missy Elliott made history after NASA launched one of her most iconic songs to Venus, marking the first time a rap song was beamed into deep space.
Last Friday (July 12) NASA launched Elliott’s 1997 Timbaland-produced hit “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” into space from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. The song traveled about 158 million miles from Earth to Venus at the speed of light.
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Elliott’s debut solo single takes about 14 minutes to reach the planet often referred to as Earth’s evil twin. Transmissions are via a massive 112-foot-wide Deep Space Station 13 (DSS-13) radio dish, nicknamed Venus.
Missy Elliott celebrated the astronomy honor on social media and shared her excitement about the honor.
“Yo, this is crazy! We just #OutOfThisWorld with NASA and sent the first hip-hop song into space via the Deep Space Network,” she explained. “My song ‘The Rain’ has officially been transported to Venus, the planet of strength, beauty and empowerment. The sky is not the limit, it’s just the beginning.
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Missy Elliott revealed she chose the gold star because of the qualities it represents. “I am honored to have the opportunity to share my art and my message with the universe!” she added.
NASA said in a statement: “Space exploration and Missy Elliott’s art both push boundaries. Missy blends space-centric storytelling and futuristic visuals in her music videos. So having the opportunity to collaborate on something out of this world was a real fit.
Missy Elliott follows in the footsteps of The Beatles. Their single “Across the Universe” was the first song launched into deep space by NASA in 2008.
