NASA has beamed Missy Elliott's "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)" to Venus.
It took nearly 14 minutes to reach the planet Monday, covering a distance of approximately 158 million miles, the space agency said in a statement. The song was transmitted using radio antennas located near Barstow, California, which are generally used to track spacecraft, send commands, and receive data.
Elliot celebrated the accomplishment on X.
YOOO this is crazy! We just went #OutOfThisWorld with @NASA and sent the FIRST hip hop song into space through the Deep Space Network," she wrote adding, "The sky is not the limit, it's just the beginning
This marks only the second time a song has been sent into space, following The Beatles' "Across the Universe," which was transmitted to the North Star, Polaris, in 2008.
Elliot often uses space themes in her music and art, which NASA acknowledged in a statement, noting that it had suggested collaborating with Elliott on various ideas before landing on this project.
"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," said Brittany Brown, a director in NASA's communications office.
Elliot kick started her career over 30 years ago and has been making waves recently. In 2019, she became the first woman in hip-hop to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, according to CNN. Four years later, she made history again as the first female rapper to enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Further, there is now a street named after her in her home state of Virginia.
Commenting on beaming her song to Venus, Elliot explained she chose the planet for personal reasons.
"I chose Venus because it symbolizes strength, beauty, and empowerment and I am so humbled to have the opportunity to share my art and my message with the universe!" she said.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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