In a stellar moment for music and space exploration, NASA broadcast Missy Elliott's iconic 1997 hit “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” to Venus, marking the first time a hip-hop song was broadcast into deep space.
The historic broadcast took place on Friday, July 12 from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. Using the agency's Deep Space Network, the song traveled an astronomical 158 million miles from Earth to Venus at the speed of light, taking about 14 minutes to reach its destination.
Elliott, clearly over the moon with this eerie honor, shared her excitement on social media: “YOOO this is crazy! We just went #OutOfThisWorld with NASA and sent the FIRST hip hop song into space via the Deep Space Network. My song 'The Rain' has officially been channeled to Venus, the planet that symbolizes strength, beauty and empowerment. The sky's not the limit, it's only the beginning 👽👽”
This cosmic milestone follows The Beatles' “Across the Universe,” which became the first song broadcast by NASA into deep space in 2008.
Brittany Brown, Director of the Digital and Technology Division at NASA's Office of Communications, who pitched the idea to Elliott's team, noted the synergy between space exploration and the artist's work: “Both space exploration and her art Missy Elliott is all about pushing boundaries. Missy has a history of infusing spacey storytelling and futuristic visuals into her music videos, so the opportunity to collaborate on something out of this world is really fitting.”
Produced by Timbaland, Missy Elliott's “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” from her debut album Supa Dupa Fly marked her emergence as a major player in hip-hop and R&B.
It debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 with 129,000 copies sold in its first week of release, the highest debut for a female rapper at the time, and topped the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The track's groundbreaking production by Timbaland and its unique Hype Williams-directed music video left a lasting impact on the music industry, establishing Elliott as a creative force and laying the groundwork for her successful career.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/missy-elliott-song-space-nasa-1235731747/