NASA transmitted Missy Elliott’s 1997 hit “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” into space on Friday, July 12, which took about 14 minutes to get to its destination. The song was headed for Venus, where sulfuric acid rain evaporates in the extreme heat before it even reaches the surface of the planet. Call this our round-about attempt to give Venus some much-needed rain.
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This is the second song that has been beamed specifically into deep space, with the addition of The Beatles’ “Across the Universe” in 2008. Additionally, in 1977, the Golden Record was launched on Voyager 1 and 2 as part of an initiative to communicate with extraterrestrials. It included music from Chuck Berry, Mozart, and Beethoven, among others. This week, Missy Elliott took to social media to mark the milestone with a statement.
“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 on Twitter/X. “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.”
Elliott included concert footage of herself in the post, as well as a beautiful photo of Venus. Fans took to the comments to share their excitement. “This is sooo dope Miss. We gotta get the aliens some trash bags so they can have the full effect,” one person wrote, referencing the music video for th song. “Keep pushing the needle forward! This is Hip Hop history.”
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Missy Elliott’s “The Rain” Becomes First Hip-Hop Song Beamed Into Space
“The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” is an iconic song with an even more iconic music video. In 1997, it debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, and has been named one of Rolling Stones‘ “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” in 2021, according to a report from CBS News.
Brittany Brown, director of the Digital and Technology Division of NASA’s Office of Communications, said in a statement, “Both space exploration and Missy Elliott’s art have been about pushing boundaries.” She added, “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.”
According to NASA, the transmission was sent via the Deep Space Network on Friday at 10:05 a.m., traveling at the speed of light toward Venus. We can’t help but wonder if anyone heard it.
Featured Image by Daniel DeSlover/Shutterstock
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